When Alice met Jasper
by Kimmydonn
Summary: Pre-Twilight. Alice POV starting in the diner waiting for Jasper. What was it like when they first met each other? When they first met the Cullens?
1. Chapter 1

Would today be the day? Maggie was on shift, that was a good sign. I never stayed long when she wasn't.

I wondered why time was so elusive in my sight. Not for the first time, and likely not for the last. Some things were clear. The diner. The rain. The booths half filled. Maggie bringing me a soda I'd pretend to drink. And _him_ walking through the door. Nothing outside the diner was in focus. I knew it would be raining, but I didn't know if that turned the lanes to slush or brought more leaves down from the trees or caused the flowers to perk up.

I'd been here every day it rained for the past seven months. I was starting to question my sanity. Again, not for the first time. The humans around me didn't seem to lose focus and see things that weren't there. Well, not as often anyway. I made an effort to swing my leg and sip my soda — in part to lend credence to normality, and in part to bring _him_. Also, unlike the humans around me, I had no problem holding perfectly still. Unless I took the time to make such minute alterations to my stance, they looked at me, noticed me. I didn't want to be noticed.

I mentally cringed remembering that vision. Men and women in black cloaks — tearing, burning.

The humans around me wouldn't guess I was anything other than a girl ditching class, probably waiting for a friend. I wasn't ditching class. I'd never been to a class. If I was in a small classroom surrounded by humans, I might not maintain my facade. I wasn't human; I was what hunted humans. Although, I hadn't done that in more than seven months, more than ten years. It had taken me longer than that to track down this cafe, searching nights and rainy days. I tried to avoid interacting with humans. I didn't want to test my strength or facade against too much scrutiny. Instead I aimed for brief interactions, preferably with as few of them in a group as possible. It was easier to resist, easier to maintain the mask.

"Back again, Alice?" Maggie asked, smiling. Her uniform was crisp, as always. Her blonde hair pulled back and covered in a light colored net. Her smell was stronger now that she'd been working a few hours. It was easier to ignore the less active customers around me, but I put a small smile on my face.

"Yes. I'm hopeful today." I patted my gelled wave as though to make sure it was still perfect.

"You're a patient one. I think I'd have given this man a piece of my mind, standing you up so often." I had made a mistake that first day, telling Maggie the reason I was here. Intuitive, she seemed to know that each day I came I was waiting for him again. I looked down at my stylish Gingham. "Well, I hope he's worth it."

"He is," I whispered at a level she could hear.

The bells at the door tinkled, but I ignored them. So many people came and went. My leg paused mid-swing as his scent reached me. A broad grin broke my face and Maggie noticed the change. She kept her voice low, "Really?"

Instead of wheeling on my stool, I decided to watch her reaction to my mate. My mate. Here at last. How was I still sitting here? I knew how complete he would make me feel, but curiosity made me watch Maggie a few seconds. Only a few; my patience was not infinite. Her mouth sagged slightly and roses bloomed in her cheeks. I suppressed a giggle. Maggie wasn't exactly a friend, but I didn't want to hurt her feelings. I could wait no longer. I spun on my stool and hopped to my feet.

I stopped to examine him. He would notice the fraction of a second I paused, appraising him, but Maggie wouldn't. I took in his nearly coal black eyes — only the barest hint of red remained in them. That was not good. We wouldn't tarry here. His height was appealing if daunting. His face — perfect, as expected. The scars at his neck were mostly hidden in his collar, but I could still see several. Had I not seen them so often in my mind they would have unnerved me. His scent... I blinked, drinking it in. It was like walking through a field of fresh cut hay, at once green and floral. His blond hair hung limp and wet with rain, it made it darker than normal, but the slight wave its curl gave was still evident. Then I saw his clothing; I nearly scowled. He obviously was not keeping his wardrobe well. He must spend little time in cities. The stains and tears were well washed and mended, but still clear to my eyes. Well, I'd be able to help with that. He held a curious expression, certainly surprised to find one of our kind here.

"You've kept me waiting," I admonished.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am." His voice was the clear bell of our kind, but his tone made my heart sing. As with his scent, it was expected and not. My visions were never as complete as the experience.

To my surprise and near horror, Maggie came up just then. "What manner of cad are you to leave such a fine girl as Alice sitting here alone day after day?" When had she decided to defend me? Did some instinct tell her that he was dangerous? He certainly was, as much to my kind as to hers. I reached out for her arm before she could step any closer to him. He was too thirsty and her scent too potent with perspiration. Hopefully she assumed my hand was cold from the soda; I'd left my gloves off today. She didn't turn to face me, still turning her chin up at the monster before her. I felt the tension leak out of me as her chin tipped down a few degrees and her eyes lost some of their fire. I knew as I stopped her that this would not end with loss of human life.

"A cad? Perhaps. Perhaps worse than that. Certainly this fine lady deserves better than I. I shall endeavor to deserve her attentions in the future." His voice had the lilt that was common to the southern states

I smiled. "It's all right, Maggie. Thank you for everything." I pressed some change from my hand bag into her hand and moved to his side. "Shall we?"

I could read the questions in his eyes, but I did not want him left in this place with so much temptation paining him. I took his hand but let him open the door. I guided him to my Lincoln.

"Do you drive?" I asked. At the same time, I lost focus of my eyes for a moment and saw him driving us out of Philadelphia. I passed him the keys. He cocked his head to the side but opened the door for me after a second. He slid into the driver's seat and closed his door.

He sat for less than a second looking out into the rain. Then he moved his hand to cover mine. The thrill it sent through me! My lips parted and my eyes closed, savoring the pleasure of the moment. "I am very sorry I kept you waiting. Had I known you were out there I would have scoured the country for you." He turned his hand to slip it under mine and brought it to his lips.

"Before you completely scramble my wits," I paused to sip in a breath, "would you mind driving us out of town? Southeast, if you please."

He continued to smile and brushed my hand once more with his lips before releasing it and putting the key in the ignition.

He was infuriatingly silent all the way to the edge of the city. I knew questions had to be gnawing away at him. He would choose one soon, but when he finally spoke the question was the one I least expected. "Jersey, I presume?"

I nodded. "Wharton Forest." I watched him veer into the exit before deciding it was time to look ahead further. He turned to me while my vision was out of focus and I barely noticed him. I saw our hunt, our tangled bodies. I shook my head to come back to the present. A small, almost smug, smile touched his lips.

"Jasper? Do you find something funny?"

He sat straighter as I used his name for the first time. "How?" he asked and then cut himself off. He seemed to be trying NOT to ask all the questions plaguing him. Why? "Not funny, no." Instead, he answered my question. Interesting. "Is there something of interest in Wharton Forest?" he finally asked.

I shook my head a little and sighed. Surely that wasn't the question he wanted to ask. Then I giggled. The result of something about the situation, the quiet anticipation, knowing how perfectly this day would end, loving this strong, silent stranger who wasn't strange to me at all. The laughter sounded similar to the bells tinkling at the diner. He smiled more broadly, less smugly, and barked a short laugh too. Now my eyes were questioning. I knew why _I_ found this funny. What could he see humorous though?

"What's funny?" I asked

"You tell me." he answered. "You are practically rippling with excitement and contentment. I think if you were a cat your tail would twitch as you purred." His smile slipped. "I'm sorry, ma'am."

I laughed more fully this time. "Call me Alice. And don't apologize, you're absolutely right. I didn't realize I was so obvious about it."

His brow creased slightly. "You aren't." He didn't explain further, instead repeating his question. "What is in Wharton Forest?"

"Well... where to begin?" I muttered mostly to myself. "You've noticed the difference in my eyes." It wasn't a question. Although they were dark, they were more deep brown gold than the burgundy tinting his. "Did you wonder why that was?"

He nodded rather than answer aloud. Suddenly, in addition to his previous apology, I understood his silence. He thought it rude to interrogate me. If I could have blushed I would have, it was very sweet. But rather than answer _all_ his unasked questions I continued the existing thread. "I discovered that, although we require blood to relieve our thirst, it need not be human."

His head whipped to look at me. We were just entering the forest reserve and I indicated a small turnout where we could leave the car. He only glanced for a fraction of a second and continued to stare at my face while parking the car. Then he shook his head in disbelief.

"Really," I insisted. "We're here so I can show you." I waited for the car coming in the other direction before stepping out. He ran to my door so as to offer his hand.

"Thank you." Not letting go, I ran into the trees. I stopped for a fraction of a second inside the trees to find the scent I knew would be there.

I released his hand just before we reached the wolf pack. I skipped, bounded, swung on a bough and flipped once in the air before landing on the back of a large male on the edge of the pack. I sunk my teeth into his fur and lapped up the blood before remembering the soda this afternoon. I turned my head slightly and expelled the soda before returning to drink. I knew from my vision that the alpha male was about to pounce on me. Mid-leap Jasper snatched the animal from the air and wrung the thick neck. The rest of the pack scattered. The alpha would not have attacked me at all if he'd seen Jasper, and he couldn't have hurt me if he had reached me. Jasper knew that, but instinct called him to protect me, even from something as insignificant as a wolf attack.

I had drained my prey and now lifted my face to look at him. "It's not as tasty or filling as human, but it doesn't leave that guilty aftertaste." I smoothed out my skirt, pinching off bits of hair. He still looked skeptical. "The taste gets worse as it cools, of course." He held out a half-second longer and then bit into the neck he still held.

He sighed a little as he let the body fall. "Better than nothing," he muttered.

"Indeed." I admired his profile in the fading light. The rain had stopped here, but the clouds kept direct light at bay. What light there was had taken on a definite reddish hue. Of course I knew what was coming next. "One desire filled..." I bounded toward him and leaped onto his chest wrapping my arms round his neck and my legs round his waist. "One to go." He growled low in his throat just before my lips met his.

The sun was high in the sky, throwing rainbows in the places it reached our skin through the leaves. "How?" he asked again. He cupped my face in his hand and I leaned into it. I would never tire of his touch.

"I knew I'd find you. You were the first thing I saw. When I opened my bright eyes, I didn't see the alley I'd been left in, I didn't see the poor homeless man sharing the small space — I saw you, in that diner. I knew I'd find you." I finished as I'd began.

He brushed his finger over my eyelids. "And what else do you see?"

"I see myself at your side."

"But that's not all you see." He stared at me knowingly.

"No. I see a coven. One we will join. One who taught me this way of feeding."

He nodded. I'd answered another of his _how_s with that one. I wondered how many more of his questions I could answer without his asking. Certainly not all. Maybe I'd tell him more about myself while learning more about him.

"I know you have a talent — a way with people." He froze, not that he'd been moving more than to stroke my cheek. "And you can tell I have one too. I'll show you mine if you show me yours," I teased.

"Hmm," he mumbled, mulling it over. "How would that work, I wonder." He nibbled my ear.

I gazed ahead a few minutes. How would that work indeed! "You are about to cup my breast," I told him just as he raised his hand. He hesitated slightly but did so anyway.

He chuckled lowly. "And you are having trouble concentrating on anything but the thrill your body is giving you."

I gasped as he flicked my ear with his tongue. "Yes."

"So. Are you reading my mind? To know where I'm going and what I'm going to do?" He continued to caress my pale skin.

"No." It was almost a moan. I tried to see something outside; it was _very_ difficult to focus. "A jay will cry in twenty seconds."

"Ah," he said, "he won't be the only one."

If I'd had blood, it would have boiled. I didn't understand. His hands weren't really moving on me. His lips were still at my ear, but only holding there, yet my body felt like it was ablaze. Heat and ecstasy raced through me. He was right, although I screamed before the jay. The heat left almost as quickly as it had come. I became angry with him. Was he playing with me? Was I a new game?

His brow furrowed. "Angry? With me? Let's see..."

My rage increased. The sun wasn't setting but the colors matched those of the evening before. I jumped up and he was on his feet ahead of me. I snarled. Then stopped. What was I doing? I loved Jasper. I knew it in my bones.

"Definitely mad at me. I think I've shown you enough of my talent now. Unless you'd like me to use it again?" The last was whispered as he wrapped his arms around me.

I remembered the flash fire that had spread through me. "Mmm," I moaned, "yes please." This time not all of my pleasure was from his gift as we fell to the ground again.

The sun was touching the horizon when I rolled onto my side, not quite out of his reach. "Shall I introduce you to the Cullens?" I asked. "Or another day here in Wharton?" I smiled, happy with either answer.

"You mean, you don't know?"

"Actually no. Because the choice is yours, and you haven't made it, I don't." I rose to my feet.

He laughed from the forest floor before rising to join me. "You are going to make life interesting." He put a hand around my waist. I walked back to the place our torn clothes lay and picked up my keys.

A flash: Jasper tackling me.

I turned just in time for him to knock me to the ground again. My lips found his first. He almost grumbled. "Right, no surprising you."

We tarried long enough for the sun to set and then he helped me to my feet. "Well then, shall we?"

When we reached the edge of the trees, I asked him to wait a moment. One more car passed, and I skipped to the car, opening the trunk. I grabbed the contents and ran back to Jasper. "These should fit," I told him, handing him a pair of slacks and shirt. I shook out my skirt and sweater top before donning them.

He was dressed when I turned back to him. I liked it better the other way. _Sigh._ "Mind if I drive?"

"Ladies first," he offered, letting me lead him back to the car. I drove as quickly as my Lincoln allowed. I was anxious to meet the Cullens.

"Worried they won't like me?" Jasper asked, sensing my tension.

"No, that they won't like me. Which is silly," I relaxed without his assistance, "I already know they're going to adore us both." I held back. I knew it wouldn't be like that right away, but I also knew the interim would be neither that bad nor that long.

I parked at the back of the house where I had a room rented. I opened my own door, but as he had been before, Jasper was there to help me out. I led him up the stairs to my room.

It was a simple one room flat with curtains drawn over the windows. This was my daytime hide-away. I pulled a pair of trunks from under my bed and turned to the closet. "Would you please take those bolts down to the trunk?" I tossed the keys to him and nodded toward a dozen different rolls of cloth in the corner. I was busy moving the contents of one trunk into the other and topping it with the few mens clothes I had, all in Jasper's size. I piled all of my fitted things in the other and closed the lids.

He was already back. "You are a seamstress?" he asked.

"Sort of." I followed his eyes to my well worn Singer. _Drat._ I couldn't take that with me. It was such a nice one, too. I moved to the desk and found a blank sheet of grid paper. I wrote a quick letter to my landlady. "The trunks are ready." I continued to write but stopped when I realized I hadn't asked. "That is, if you don't mind." I looked up and he already had one in either hand. I smiled and then scanned what I had written.

_Mrs Watson,  
Business has called me away suddenly, I apologize for the short notice._  
_I'm paid till the end of next month and I do hope you will find a new tenant by that time._  
_Please keep or sell the sewing machine. I'm unable to take it with me and perhaps it will assuage some of the debt I am incurring._  
_Alice._

Short and sweet, just like me. I pulled down the bed as Jasper returned again. A second pair of hands was really helpful. "Could you gather anything I have in the pantry to take to the trash?" He had a puzzled look on his face, but I'd turned to the gown on my bed and begun wrapping the sheet around it. "Appearances. My landlady would be curious if I didn't have _any_ food." I knew he would do as I'd asked and was busy pinning the sheet up.

I turned back to my desk and piled all my drawings and patterns, neatly placing them on the bottom of a carpet bag. I reached for the gown as he returned and laid it in his arms. "This will need to go on the back seat." I jumped to peck his lips.

Then I went to the cupboard under the sink, placed my only pan inside my only pot. My plate, cup, and single set of cutlery went atop that. I carried the pot to the bathroom where I swept my few and rarely to never used toiletries in atop the pile. Such props would be less necessary where we were headed but could prove useful in the meantime. The future was rarely as certain as yesterday had been. The pot went atop the drawings and was followed by my longest, most durable skirt and two blouses. I added and a few accessories to the very top. Pinning the only unboxed hat from my closet on my head and holding my carpet bag in one hand and sewing kit in the other, I lifted the pile of boxes from the floor of the closet, turning to the door.

The top half of the pile abruptly disappeared to reveal Jasper. "Thank you," I told him. The note was exposed where I had wedged it between the boxes along with a pin.

He shifted the pile to one hand and used the other to pin my note to the door. "Interesting," he muttered, as though trying to convince himself.

I couldn't help it, I laughed out loud. As before, my amusement was his amusement and he chuckled lowly as he closed the door behind us.

_Author's note: You are reading the first fanfiction piece I started. It was before I had a beta reader or knew half the grammar rules I do now. I'm in the process of updating this piece to remedy those mistakes. Consider this an 'under construction' notice. Feel free to come back later, or bear with me, if you like the story enough to ignore the odd comma misuse. :D_


	2. Chapter 2

Jasper took the driver's seat again. "We head west," I told him. "And we have lots of time to become acquainted before we reach the Cullens."

"I'd like that."

"So would I. I've had other visions of you, before you reached the diner. You were with two vampires, a man and woman. Who are they?"

"Peter and Charlotte. Peter helped me leave my former existence."

"Really? That wasn't the impression I got," I said, slightly confused. "He seemed fairly young and Charlotte even more so."

"That wasn't what I meant."

I waited, but he didn't continue. He had to know I was getting impatient. "So what did you mean?" I finally burst out.

He sighed. "Let's fill the tank first, and then I'll start at the beginning. I hope you have a way to ..." he trailed off, obviously embarrassed that he wasn't able to take care of this.

"Yes, I'll go inside and pay." I grabbed my handbag, from the back seat. "And Jasper, I know you haven't decided to do this, but you are considering it. Don't harm the attendant, all right? We can hunt again soon if you need." I leveled serious eyes at him. "I really can afford this car and it's upkeep — you don't need to eliminate problems that way." The vision and been brief and stuttered. It really was just a passing possibility and far from a certain future.

His eyes dropped. "Yes, I understand. And no, I don't need to hunt again... yet. Maybe tomorrow?" He looked up at me and I smiled at him, hoping he felt my love, my care and no admonition at all.

"Tomorrow. I'm sure we'll pass something appropriate."

Just then a pimpled teenage boy came up to Jasper's window. "Fill it up for you?"

"Yes, thank you." Jasper replied.

The boy had just started wiping the windshield as I stepped out of the car. Inside an older woman, probably the boy's mother, was behind the till reading a pulp paperback. "Can I help you ma'am?"

"Just stretching my legs," I lied as I looked around the small counter, hoping to find what wasn't likely to be here. But it was, of course. I pointed to a pair of dark glasses on a shelf behind the woman, "On second thought, are those for sale?"

She turned to look over her shoulder. "Oh, those are my husband's, but he can buy another pair."

"I would appreciate it. I have my own, but my husband doesn't."

"Uh-huh" she muttered, "Well I'm not sure what to charge you for them. John bought these and I have no idea what he paid."

I laid a couple bills on the counter. "Will this cover the glasses and the gas?"

Her eyes popped a bit. Overpaying always resulted in less questions and fond memories.

Jasper and I pulled away and were zipping down the highway before he began his tale again. "I can still remember some small bits of being a confederate soldier." I gasped. I knew Jasper was older than me, but I didn't expect so many decades difference.

He looked at me. "I'm much younger than you," I whispered. "I didn't expect the gap between us to be so large."

He smiled. "The gap between us _is _wide, but not in the way you think. But perhaps you will not understand my history or how it fits into the history of our... cohort." It was far easier to think the word vampire than to say it aloud.

"I might not. I know very little of... our kind. I don't even know how I came to be. Just waking up. You are the first person I've really talked to."

"Hm, then I shall have to explain the sense of conquest some of our kind exhibit." He proceeded to describe the nature of Maria, his creator, and how she built an army of young vampires to reclaim her lands in the south. I was aghast, horrified and speechless; I was rapt.

"You... you destroyed... others... like us?" I had trouble imagining it at all. We were not easy to kill. It was utterly impossible to picture this man, the one I loved, doing such a thing.

He turned to look at me, the worry on his face plain. He thought I was afraid. No, he knew I was afraid. But as I reviewed everything he'd just told me, the new world he'd described that I hoped never to see with my own eyes, I realized that he wasn't there anymore. He'd left that. He couldn't be a part of that. My fear changed; no longer of him but for him.

He must have sensed the change and chuckled. "Where did you think I got these?" he asked, touching his throat.

I ran my fingers over several of the crescent shaped scars. If I'd been human, my hand would have trembled. "I didn't know."

"You didn't have any ideas?" He arched an eyebrow.

I shook my head. "I only see the future, not the past. I wouldn't have seen anything before you left with Peter. My first images of you were probably long after you'd left."

"You must have had a guess."

"Ummm." I really didn't want to say this out loud, but his eyes were piercing. "Saving silly girls like me?"

He threw his head back and laughed. "I like your version better," he managed between guffaws.

"Tell me more? It scares the hell out of me, but I want to understand. It's like learning more about myself when I learn of our kind, when I learn of you." I felt an emotion pulse through me and then pass quickly. "That wasn't intentional, was it?" I asked.

"No," he was adamant. "You initiated in the forest, but I don't want you to think I'll take advantage of any... familiarity resulting from a moment of impulse."

I thought about that for a minute.

"Pull over," I commanded. As soon as he stopped the car I slapped him. Not full armed, but enough the he felt it and the sound reverberated the windows. His face showed he expected nothing less; that infuriated me more.

"You think it was just an impulse? You think I haven't already decided to spend the rest of whatever time I have with you? I don't plan to be your accessory. I plan to be your partner, so you'd better learn to take advantage of me, in every sense, in every way I can give you advantages. From my visions, to my diet, to my tiny girlie body. It's all yours. I have spent decades trying to find you. You aren't some passing fancy." I flopped back in my seat, crossing my arms over my chest.

He was silent for a moment, then stroked my cheek. "I apologize for leading you to believe I thought of you as any less than my hope, my salvation. In that sense I _do_ plan to take full advantage of you. I've been trying to change my life for decades, and you did it. You found me. Peter took me out of that life, but you're the one who is bringing me a new one. If you are an accessory, you are a piercing that can never be removed."

I flinched.

"I'm sorry. You got me rambling. Very romantic..." he trailed off, shaking his head.

I chuckled. "Yeah, the imagery is grotesque, but the sentiment was right." I kissed his cheek. "Well, it's tomorrow. We should probably start our hunt before it becomes light out." I leaned over him to check the gas gauge. I felt his breath in my hair. "Yep, if I plan this right we can hit a station outside town during a cloudy stretch."

His hand hovered over my back, but I could see he wouldn't put it against my skin — stubborn man. Well, I'd be damned, again, if I was going to make the first move twice. I backed up and waited for him to open my door. Pink was just touching the eastern sky.

The trees on the north side of the highway were sparse and we took care not to linger out of the shadows as the sun began to climb. There was no big game to be found in this wilderness. It wasn't wild so much as untamed farmland, but I did pick up the scent of two deer. Jasper could have both if he liked, I didn't need to feed again yet.

His nose wrinkled as I watched him catch the scent. "Is that dinner?" he asked, unsure.

"If all you want is to curb the thirst, it will do. Are you feeling strong enough to resist the people at the next station?" I asked, gauging his response.

He sighed. "Not really, no. I held my breath at the last one."

I blinked slowly. I hadn't thought of doing that. "Well, these are all yours." I jumped into the tree I was standing under, so I could watch his hunt. I knew he'd only take the doe, the fawn would escape, but visions, even ones as close as this, were never as concrete as watching for myself.

He hesitated another second as though steeling his stomach for bad cooking and then rushed through the brush. He was so fast. It was like a snake's strike. He was here and then he was there. Even with enhanced senses, it was hard to follow. I leaped from tree to tree until I was almost directly over him. I stretched out on the branch on my belly and rested my head on my hands. He was so beautiful. His hair gleamed now in the sun. The scars on his cheek stood out too with the tiny shadows they cast. The curve of his ear, his long white neck...

**Snap.**

I had time to land gracefully on my feet but was still impressed he'd managed to break the bough before I saw it. He stood over me, so tall, holding the thick piece of wood in his hands. I could hear his breath come more quickly. His chest seemed wider with it. He put his arms around me and pulled me to him. I laid my ear to his chest and sighed. I had seen us standing like this many times, in many places. He ran a hand through my hair and then shook it out. He had not accounted for my gel. I backed up and laughed hard enough to double over. I managed to stop enough to stutter, "I'll wash it out... next stop... promise." My peals continued to ring in the air.

"Is it time?"

I cocked an eyebrow. Time and me, so many things that could mean.

"For the next stop," he clarified.

I looked to the sun. "We can head back to the car, but we'll either have to drive slowly or kill ten minutes."

He nodded and took my hand. "I think I can find something to fill the time." He pressed my hand to his lips and led me away.

His idea was not what I'd hoped for. I maintained my pledge to myself to wait for him to make the next move. Instead, he asked me to tell him what little I remembered from before my awakening.

"Very little. I heard a voice saying he would save me, but I always thought it was you and I had confused myself. Now I'm not so sure. Maybe I was human then and _he_, who ever he was, thought he was saving me when he made me this. It wasn't until you told me your story that I realized we were human, once. All I remember is being a vampire. I used to think I was born this way."

"You don't remember the pain?" When I didn't answer he elaborated, "Of being changed. The burning?"

"I remember a burning at the very beginning. Then I fed on that man. Then I started my search for the diner."

"You didn't hunt?"

"Not right away."

"I thought all newborns hunted."

"I certainly fed often in the beginning — I was still collecting information from my visions. It was a few months before I understood the Cullens fed on animals, and that this was an option. I still slip up occasionally. I lost the best stock broker that way. Fortunately his associate wired me the bad news, of his disappearance, and offered to take over my accounts."

"Stocks." I could tell he'd just put together the last piece of the puzzle that was the fine vehicle in which he sat.

"Well, I needed a way to search for you. As I adapted to my new diet, I was able to interact more and more with humans. That's when I started designing clothing."

"Ah, designing. Not a seamstress."

"No, I only work with new cloth, and I would never be able to give a fitting. What if I stuck her with a pin? We should leave soon if we want to arrive on time."

He seemed satisfied with his few answers and started the ignition.

I left him the cash to pay for the gas while I sought the washroom with my carpet bag in hand. I dug out the shampoo from under my change of clothes. I'd only used it once before. I lathered up my scalp and rinsed all the gel down the rusted drain. I used one of the blouses to dab the excess water, then shook my head vigorously. As usual, my hair stuck out in every direction. I fussed with it a little, making the peaks a little more even at least. I sighed and dropped my blouse in the bag again. Short and spiked might be fashionable one day, but it was not today.

Jasper smiled as I entered the car, and I felt my insecurity wash away. "You look lovely" he assured me. Then he put his nose into my hair. "It'll be even better when your scent isn't masked." I smiled back at him.

We stopped and started several times in the next hours. Along the way, I prompted him on his past. "So, Maria was your partner?"

"Sort of. I don't think she liked to think of me as her equal, but I was her closest associate."

"So... just you, her and raging newborns."

"Yes. She did turn to me for companionship. She turned to me for tactics. She turned to me for assistance."

"And you?"

"She gave me my pick of humans for feeding; my choice for turning. She gave the best of what she had, but aside from blood, she had little to offer."

"But she offered more."

He gave an exasperated sigh. I almost did, too. How many ways did I have to ask this?

"Yes. She hoped I would be a partner in more ways. We tried. At first my urges made me oblivious to her other drives, but her emotions were always bent on conquest, and I knew she saw me as no more than a tool, one she appreciated, one she took special care of, but still just a tool. It wasn't..." he held his breath a moment. "I knew love before I met you only by sensing it between Peter and Charlotte. It is so much more... intense first-hand."

"I understand. Visions never equal the experience for me either. Probably works that way so we remember to live for ourselves."

I felt emotion ripple through me again. This time I was feeling much the same, and it wasn't as noticeable. We were facing each other so that our skin would be less exposed to the sunlight. I leaned forward and watched his indecision as he warred with the impulse to lean into me. I was NOT going to step first again. And I was not going to hold my breath. Well, I was going to try not to hold my breath. _Breath Alice_, I ordered myself. When I complied it was a gasp. Jasper flinched back, and I realized just how close we had been. I sighed and shook my head, turning forward as the clouds rolled in once more. This was my signal to him and he pulled away.

"Tell me more of Peter and Charlotte?" I pleaded once we were underway.

He smiled. "Peter is almost a brother to me. In the beginning he was just a useful ally. A few months later he was a comrade. I don't even remember when Charlotte joined us. Knowing how quickly the newborns came and went, I made a point not to get to know any of them until they'd survived a year. Peter, obviously, didn't do the same. He bonded to Charlotte in the months she was with us. Seeing them together, I can understand why. Although they look alike enough to be siblings, they are opposites. Peter is impulsive, that's why he jumped to Charlotte's defense and rescue. That's why he came back for me. She tried to talk him out of it. She weighs risks the way the post weighs parcels, to the ounce. Peter is strong of will. Once he decides his course he is resolute. Charlotte always looks for another option. Even once on a chosen track, with her way of weighing risks, she quickly adapts her plans as options arise. He's easy-going. He has a kind word for everyone and thing. He takes things as they come. Charlotte can find a fault anywhere. She is tenacious in seeking what she wants, which is how she convinced Peter to leave. At first, I wondered how they didn't drive each other to distraction, but as I traveled with them, I learned that their differences just made them stronger together."

I let visions flick in one part of my mind as I focused intently on his words. The admiration he felt for his friend was evident. And I could tell he had come to admire Charlotte, too. I hoped he would find in me the strengths to balances his weaknesses.

"Slow down." I told him in the middle of another tale, this of another nomad they'd encountered in Boston.

He was surprised at the interruption but our speed declined immediately.

"There is a sheriff waiting at the bottom of the next hill. I don't have a license, do you?"

"Maybe we'll have to rectify that."

"Perhaps. That was how I learned the Cullens' names. They had several documents made."

His eyes were interested again. "And what are their names?"

"Carlisle and Esme. Rosalie and Emmett. And Edward. I'll sketch you pictures of them!" I realized that this would appease some of his curiosity and pulled my grid pad out of the carpet bag along with a pencil.

He smiled.

I outlined five figures. Rosalie with Emmett on her left and Esme on her right. Carlisle with his arm around Esme's shoulders and Edward tucked in a little behind Carlisle. I grinned broadly as I drew my family. I was feeling closer to them now that we were on our way. It was crucial I find Jasper as soon as I could, for his sake. I'd had to delay meeting the Cullens although I knew where they were. I'd seen them and their hunting grounds, the large white house, the small town of Forks where Carlisle worked in the hospital. I'd seen so much of them and their home. I couldn't wait to see it fully. The distance from these visions made them very flat. I wanted the real thing. I started on Edward's features when a new vision struck me.

"No!" I shouted. The pencil snapped in my hand.


	3. Chapter 3

Jasper turned to me.

"Keep driving. Can we catch them?" I muttered, forcing my sight to follow their trajectory. While I did, I pulled the stub through my teeth and scribbled an address at the bottom of the picture followed by names: Emmett Hale, Esme Cullen nee Hale.

When my eyes regained focus I saw Jasper staring at me, worry creasing his brow. He hadn't slowed. "They're leaving. Moving to a new city. I saw Edward picking up documents for them in Seattle." I spat the shavings from the pencil out the window and flipped to a new page. I began sketching the house they were moving to. This was all I had of their destination so far.

"And can we catch them?" Jasper asked.

I looked up and cursed. "I'm sorry Jasper." I said just as the siren started behind us.

"Should I try to outrun him?"

"It won't help. Go ahead and pull over. I'm really, really sorry about this Jasper."

He didn't understand, but felt my remorse. The trooper came to the window then. Jasper rolled it down.

"License and registration?" He frowned at Jasper and then smiled at me.

The wind of a car in the opposite direction blew the man's scent into us. Jasper reflexively pulled the officer through the window and sank his teeth into his neck. I continued to sketch and try to find when the Cullens were leaving, where they were going. I put down my pencil and opened my door once Jasper had finished, carrying the body back to the cruiser and putting it in the driver's seat. Then I went to the back of the car and ran full out, plowing it into a tree. I looked through the smashed window and grabbed a shard of windshield. Stretching over the hood I drove it into Jasper's wound and slid back to the ground.

Jasper stood watching me. Barely two minutes had passed. "Really, really sorry." I repeated. I climbed back into the Lincoln and pulled the pad back onto my lap.

Jasper was still standing on the highway looking at the wreckage. "Come in, Jasper. The traffic is returning." He was sparkling in the sunlight, a beacon to the next car that would pass.

I was already sketching again when he put the Lincoln back into drive. He looked at the picture. "That's where they're going?"

"Yes." My inner sight was already trying to nail down when they were leaving, how, how long it would take. "But I have no idea where it is. Middle America, small town. Could be anywhere!" I shrieked.

Calmness filled the car, but the disappointment and agony didn't completely abate. "We'll find them, Alice. I see how much this means to you. I'll help in anyway I can." His fingers traced my ear, trying not to disturb the flying pencil.

A hospital. Of course. I stuck the eraser of the pencil in my mouth. Carlisle would need be working in a new hospital and probably already knew which one. It might even be one he'd worked in before. I bit the end off my pencil and the spat it out the window with a growl.

"What now?" Jasper was trying desperately to keep up with me but with little to no success.

"Put those on." I nodded to the glasses on the dash. I half-snarled, jotting the name of the hospital under the house. Sacred Heart. Could it have a more ubiquitous name? I didn't think so. He reached for them and shoved them on. "We'll be passing through a few towns soon, fortunately the clouds are rolling in, but your eyes..."

"Right. So what did you see?"

"Did I tell you Carlisle is a surgeon? He works Emergency Rooms often, too. Well the hospital he's going to could have been a good clue where they're going, but it wasn't."

"We'll find them, Alice." He ran his hand down my left arm and took hold of my hand. "You know we will."

That pulled me up. I took a deep breath and focused only on the present and our immediate future.

"You're right. I do know that." Then I looked down at my top and snarled again. A ragged snag pinched it over my left breast and a gaping hole was under my arm. I ripped off the sweater and pulled another blouse from the bag. Jasper's eyes popped at the sight of my white skin. I idly thought of tempting him by leaving it off, but he was due to make the next move and we were heading toward civilization. I buttoned up my blouse quickly and he averted his eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

We were silent while I continued to sketch and search for any clue in their intentions.

After a while Jasper did ask a question, "I don't really understand how your visions work but... are you able to follow them as they travel?"

I smiled. "Yes, unfortunately they aren't taking the highway. I doubt I could track their plan closely enough to map out where they come out of the forests." I wished I could cry.

"They're only taking what they can carry?"

"No, but they've hired men to move their things. Humans are much harder for me to follow." I focused for a few minutes on the truck and saw it going East. I saw it turn onto the interstate and then it just vanished. _Humans!_ "So I know they are going east, but from Washington, that's hardly useful."

"But you know the place they're leaving? You've seen that several times, right?"

"Yes." I said, not sure where he was going with this thought. Then I saw us in the empty house.

"Maybe they left some clue behind."

I leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Genius. Also, I'm very curious to see the place for myself. It would be like reaching some part of them. Keep heading to Seattle. Maybe we can solve our lack of identification problem at the same time." I flipped back to family portrait and indicated the address at the bottom.

He nodded and turned back to the road. "You seem surprised. Did they have to leave suddenly?"

"No, I've seen them leaving before. They've stayed in Forks for several years now. People would start to notice. But they hadn't set their minds to leaving, and not to where they were going, so I couldn't see it clearly."

"And we can't catch them? If they decided recently they might not have left yet."

I bit my lip. "I don't know when they decided. I haven't looked for them in a while now. Once I found the diner, I put all my sights on nailing down when you'd come there. It's been a month since I really focused on them. Edward's picking up those papers later today and they're heading overland tonight." I hung my head.

He tilted my chin up. "We will find them, Alice. You've brought me hope." I felt it flood through me, the uplifting feeling that comes with a new dawn, a clean sheet of snow, a fresh breeze. "Let me give some back to you."

I closed my eyes and sighed, letting the hope wash over and through me. Then his lips brushed my eyelids. His hand released my chin and his eyes were back on the road when I opened mine. I leaned against his shoulder and looked at the picture of the new house. I clung to hope and tried not to contemplate how long it might take me to find this needle in the haystack.

The drive had been quiet since my revelation. Occasionally Jasper would give me hope again, when despair threatened to overwhelm me. I suggested hunting before going into the city. Jasper found a cougar, and this was much more to his liking than the wolf. I was glad. I took down a mountain goat for myself. I just needed to take the edge off my thirst.

It was raining when we reached Seattle. As we parked in front of a shabby looking law office, I saw Jasper going inside, talking with the lawyer and giving our names and birth dates. While I watched the vision, I pulled my bag over the seat. I was glad I'd kept so much cash on hand. I'd have to wire more to myself in case we needed anything else this expensive.

"What name should I use?"

"Cullen. I believe Emmett is passing as Esme's brother. You should be able to pose as Carlisle's."

"And you?"

"I'm your wife, of course."

The split-second he hesitated seemed very long to me. "Of course."

I scowled slightly. "Use any dates you like, but make me 16, that will put me at the same age as Edward. You should probably aim a little older for yourself."

"Do you have a middle name?" he asked.

"Not that I know of — pick something."

He nodded. "Will you stay here?"

"If you wish."

He strode up to the man on the porch, who was watching us warily at this point. I returned to the vision. Jasper made my birthday August 22. Was that date significant? My middle name would be Marie. _Yuck._ Too close to Maria. His birthday was just a few days ago. That wasn't his real birthday... that was the day in the diner. Jasper paid half the asking price and Bill, the lawyer, told him they would be ready in a week.

Would I be lucky enough to find a clue within a week? There were too many decisions between here and there. It was a possibility though. In one view I was smiling as Jasper returned to the car with our new certificates and drove off with purpose. Of course, I still couldn't see where to... This talent could be so infuriating sometimes.

I pulled my grid paper out again and started to fill in more of Esme's face as the two men entered the office. She was hunting with the others, somewhere between here and there. In the next vision, she was fixing up the new house. I got a good view of the layout. It wasn't nearly as large as the previous. I flipped to a clean sheet without really seeing it and outlined a floor plan based on Esme's decorating schemes. The largest room, I thought, was hers and Carlisle's, but the pictures that I knew had been in his office at the big house went into the next smallest room. So... the large room was for Rosalie and Emmett? That left the third room for Edward. The only one without a bed and packed with bookshelves. I wondered if all those were his or if he would be holding some for Carlisle, too. I flipped back to the portrait and started filling in Carlisle's face, seeing him in his room with Esme. My breathing picked up a little, and I shook my head when Jasper opened the door.

He looked at me with a smirk on his face. It was clear he knew what I'd been thinking about. I scowled back at him. He wiped the smirk away.

"All set. We'll meet him at the dock next Wednesday, but you probably already knew that."

The smirk returned and this time I smiled, too. "Of course."

"Which why now?"

I directed him west around the sound. Then I turned to Rosalie's face in the drawing. She was watching Emmett wrestle with a bear, laughing heartily as he let the bear fight futilely. Then I saw them in the largest room of the new house and blinked my eyes rapidly to clear my sight. I'd pressed the pencil too hard into Rosalie's nose. Her right nostril looked like it was bleeding. I sighed and tried to smudge some of it away.

Jasper looked at it. "Attractive," he said with some sarcasm.

I stuck my tongue out when he turned his head back. He snickered. I felt emotion from him again, quickly suppressed. "Do I distract you?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered honestly. "I haven't done that, unintentionally, in years."

"You don't have to repress it, you know." I started on new sketch, this one the Emergency entrance to Sacred Heart Hospital.

"I want you to feel what you feel, not what I make you feel."

"And that sentence almost made sense," I teased.

He growled quietly.

"Really, Jasper. Lust is fine. I can handle lust. I'm a big girl." He laughed out loud and looked down at me. "Ok, not big. Grown."

His laughter stopped short. "I know that." It wasn't lust before, I realized now, just affection. This was a wave of lust. He was remembering me, I was sure of it. I was also sure he wasn't going to touch me that way again before we got to the Cullens'. All I could do now is nudge him toward the decision to do so when we got there.

I blew in his ear. "And I have all grown up parts." I slid back down in my seat before I could do anything more than tease.

"Turn here," I instructed as we approached the narrow lane that wound to the large house. What would it look like without them here? What did they take with them?

We sped along the drive and pulled up to front porch. I nearly leapt out of the car in excitement. They weren't here, but already I could smell them. They'd left their scent all over this place. I held each one in my mind as I entered the house to learn which person they matched. Jasper was right beside me, opening the door.

The front room was made up for sitting. The armchairs had been covered by tarps. Also under cover was the grand piano. It would still be in tune. I ran to it and ripped the cloth off. Sitting on the bench, I bent my nose to the keys.

"Edward," I murmured taking in his scent. Jasper stood behind me. I saw he had the grid paper in his hand and pointed to Edward. I walked more slowly through the rooms after that. The dining room furniture was not covered and I sat for a moment in one of the chairs remembering the images of them discussing problems that they'd faced. Jasper looked in cupboards, under the sheets. A few minutes later I rose and skipped up the stairs.

I entered Carlisle's study and indicated him in the portrait for Jasper. Many of his books were still on the shelves. I leafed through one or two. Mostly they were medical texts. I found one that looked different. _Historia _was all it had for a title and it was written in Latin or Italian, I wasn't sure which. I showed it to Jasper but he didn't know it either. I saw _Vampiro_ though and knew I wanted to learn how to read this book. I looked to Jasper, who was flipping through papers on the desk.

"Anything?"

"No. Just information about patients here in Forks."

I sighed and then twirled for the door. The next room was Edward's. I paused just long enough to take in the turn table and the gaps in the shelves where he'd removed some of his possessions. Which music he left behind probably wouldn't be much help in determining where they went. Jasper stopped for a longer tour anyway while I traipsed to the next room. This was evidently Esme's workshop. I memorized her scent. The drafting board held designs for updates to this house. I flipped through the pile hoping to find more information on the house they'd moved to but came up empty. I flipped back to review some of the drawings for changes to Edward's room and the sitting room. A wall of windows? Ambitious. I knew she'd made plans to do this to her own bedroom. Perhaps she'd even completed it by now.

Jasper came in then and arched an eyebrow. "No good. These are all for this place." I set the drawings down. I flitted to the door on the adjacent wall. It was a storage space but larger than I expected — filled with furniture, painting gear and carpentry tools. I squeezed in around some of the larger pieces to examine some at the back. The gleam of the wood grain on one bureau and the carvings of cranes and herons on a matching table were exquisite. I ran my fingers over the aged wood appreciating Esme's taste.

Jasper peered in from the doorway. "Who works here?"

"Esme, our mother." I laughed then. He offered his hand as I stepped around a saw horse. "Well, she will be." I ran to grab the portrait so I could point her out to Jasper, too. "The bedrooms are at the top of the stairs."

I stopped at the end of the hall to gaze upon the relic hanging there. Carlisle's crucifix. Jasper cocked his eyebrow, but I couldn't really answer this one. I knew Carlisle liked to contemplate here, but I didn't know why or what. Instead, I led the way to the third floor.

Here was Emmett and Rosalie's room. I was a bit sad when I couldn't differentiate their scents. At the same time I noticed that their scents weren't as strong in the house as the others. Perhaps they weren't staying here? I certainly hadn't seen them as often as the other three. The bed was... well it wasn't. It was just a pair of mattresses on the floor, although the rest of the room seemed well kept. I looked at the thick paper on the walls, ornate and quilted to make it thicker. I tapped it in one place and found it wasn't really paper at all, but some sort of cloth, quilted in truth. I turned back to the bed and realized the mattress wasn't for comfort but to reduce noise. I whirled to leave the room and walked straight into Jasper's chest. "I think Rosalie and Emmett must have left the family for a time, their scent isn't as strong as the others." I shared with him.

"Emmett's the big one, right?" He sniffed. "One of them, or perhaps both, has a fondness for the mechanical."

Now that he mentioned it, I did detect a hint of grease, oil and gasoline. I followed my nose around the mattress and lifted a blouse with a dark smear on the right sleeve. "Rosalie, it appears." I held the cloth to my face separating her scent from Emmett's. I tossed the shirt to Jasper and he did the same. I rifled through the pile of clothing making a note to adjust the fit on the things I'd made for Rosalie. She was taller than I'd thought. I also considered making her a pair of coveralls — denim. I dropped a skirt with grease ground into the knees.

Jasper had moved to their closet, but it was nearly empty. "You going to tell me more of the Cullens when you were... overcome. Do you think you might be willing to talk about them now?"

I smiled broadly. "Happily. Emmett," I began shaking out a shirt to show long rents in the back, "likes bears. Well, he likes to play with bears." I dropped the shirt again. "He likes to play, period. He is boisterous and carefree, based on what I've seen. In nearly every vision, he is either laughing out loud or grinning like the Cheshire cat."

Piling up rags I would raid later, I muttered, "Rosalie is a lot harder to describe. Their time away from the family, although I didn't realize what it was then, has limited my visions of her. She is beautiful and knows it. But she isn't very happy. I think maybe she is unsatisfied with the track her life has taken.

"Edward is the musician. He is the closest son. I want to say prodigal, but nothing I've seen confirms that, just a hunch. He is well-learned and gentile, like you." I smiled up at him in the hallway. "I have sensed that I will be closest to him of all the Cullens, but again I can't say why. Maybe some commonality? He has a gift like ours? Not anything I can see."

I crossed the hall to Carlisle and Esme's room. "Esme, as I said, is our mother. That best describes what I've seen of her, a caretaker, full of love, always looking for the best to give her family." The large bed in the middle of the room had a magnificent lace spread. I bent to examine the stitches. "She has an artistic flair and uses it to build a home for her family."

I saw him standing at the large windows looking out to the forest at the edge of the yard. "This... was her plan?"

"Yes. I saw her making arrangements and even saw the glass being delivered, but I wasn't sure of the timing. Probably in the past month or two. She wants to do the same to this whole side of the house."

He looked at me, incredulous.

"She's doing it slowly, one room at a time." I stood at his side, enjoying the view.

"And Carlisle?"

"He's a doctor. He spends a significant part of every day surrounded by bleeding humans. And rather than feeding, he helps them — saves them. He is unbelievable. I cannot understand how he does what he does. He is the guiding hand to this family." My voice broke. "My family. Oh, Jasper, the only thing I've wanted more than to be a part of this family was you. I want a mother and father. I want siblings. I want someone to share this existence with — more than one someone. I want someone to teach me how to live this life instead of just stumbling through. I want it so much." He squeezed my shoulders, and I felt his hope again.

We stood there for a long time. I remembered every vision I'd had of each of the Cullens. I tried to insert myself or Jasper into the back of them. How would we fit into this family? While I reviewed the old, new visions were added. Carlisle saving a human girl's life. Esme painting Edward's room. Rosalie under a Cadillac. Emmett and Rosalie.

When that vision hit, I moved for the first time in hours. The sun had set some time while we stood. I stepped away from Jasper and went down the stairs to Edward's room. I needed a distraction from the coupling that seemed inevitable when Rosalie and Emmett's future was concerned. I flipped through the vinyl until I found something I recognized. The band's rhythm was tempo and soon had me circling the room, spinning and jumping, swaying and sliding. I loved to dance. It felt wonderful.

Jasper watched from the doorway for several minutes before moving to the shelf and selecting another record. I stopped abruptly as the music did the same. He had chosen a much more traditional piece. As the orchestra struck the opening chords, he bowed to me, taking my hand. I smiled and bobbed a little in excitement. I'd read scenes like this in pulp novels: the handsome stranger sweeping the damsel into a dance that seals their hearts forever. Such romantic nonsense, and such a perfect description of us.

He swept my hand to the side and wrapped his other around my waist. I didn't know the dance he led, but it was easy to anticipate the steps he directed. He pulled me closer at one point and lifted me by the waist turning a circle before setting me back on my feet. I leaned into him, letting my body slide against his. My hands rested on his shoulders before he took my right again and leading me around the room once more. As the piece ende,d he dipped me and inhaled while tracing my neck with his nose. I gasped. It felt like he'd left a line of fire in his wake.

I stood upright, my hand still on his shoulder slid down his upper arm, then back up again, enjoying the simple curve of it. He bent over me and smelled the hair over my ear then traced my lobe with his nose. I held perfectly still, and if I hadn't, I would have trembled. His lips came to my cheek and drifted slowly down my chin. My head lolled back and my eyes with them. I let my weight fall in his hands as he traced the line of my neck again and held at the cleft where the button of my blouse held him.

He pulled his head away slowly, and I raised mine, curious and a little disappointed. My vision told me I wouldn't be disappointed long. Indeed, just then he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me full on the mouth.

This kiss was so different from our first. That had been full of hunger, heat, need. This one was warm, but not fire. It was still need, but a much less desperate one. It was a need that was filled and fulfilled. We held that kissed a very long time. I analyzed every bit of it and banished every vision of the fires to come when they intruded. He didn't push my mouth with his and he didn't pull me to him. His lips were very slightly parted such that I could taste his breath, and the sweetness was even better than ever. Once his tongue touched my lower lip but receded quickly. I did the same, just once, just a touch — an acknowledgment that we could press further but we were satisfied with what the other gave.

His hands held my face for the first full minute of the kiss but then began to wander — gentle brushes, nothing prodding, nothing pushing. Like our tongues earlier, he seemed to be appreciating everything just as it was. He ran one hand over my hair and then through it. He traced the nape of my neck, the collar of my blouse, the line of my arm to the elbow, several ribs on my left side. Somewhere around minute ten, he ran a finger down my spine from nape to tail.

I gasped and broke the kiss. My hands had been playing with the beginning of a curl on his neck, the planes of his chest, his shoulder blades, but now I clutched his shoulders and let a shudder run through me rather than resist it. My eyes fluttered with pleasure, and his lips moved to my neck. My gasps continued as his tongue pressed my now empty jugular and ran down the length to my collarbone. He kissed each of the points of it exposed by my blouse. His eyes found mine and the fire in them ignited me further.

"Oh, Jasper, you know what I'm feeling. Let me feel you."

He kissed me again and I did feel him. Filling and fulfilling. Our emotions were counterpoints: mine the eager high flame of first love, his the deep ember of long-lived love. Our kiss was no longer still, though, and his tongue did explore my mouth, his hands slipping under the back of my shirt. The fires were lit now, and nothing this side of eternity would put them out again.


	4. Chapter 4

Jasper sat up lazily, and I rolled to my side. "Thirsty?"

"Did you see me hunting?"

"No. Well, yes, but only now. I just assumed that was the only thing that could pry your attention from me."

He looked down at me and smiled. "It is." He leaned over to kiss me again.

He pulled me up and we kissed our way back to our fallen clothes. I laughed as I dressed him. It was like playing film backwards. He chuckled along as he buttoned my blouse.

I let him choose our path from the house. He would head west a ways, pick up a strange scent and follow. I wondered what scent would have his interest and followed him as he made a leap across the river.

We came that strange smell soon. It was awful. I wrinkled my nose. "What is that?" It smelled like a wet dog that had rolled in a swamp. As he had in my vision, Jasper followed the stench. I looked ahead and saw... nothing. I ran to Jasper. "Wait! Don't go that way!"

He stopped and I caught up to him. "What is it?"

"I can't see," I murmured at first. "I can't see. I can't see!" I started to go into hysterics before Jasper calmed me down.

"It's Okay, Alice. We're here; we're fine. The smell is dangerous?"

"I don't know! I can't see!" I started to shriek again, and he pulled me into his arms, enhancing his gift.

"What is the matter?"

"There's never been something I can't see before. Things disappear, are fuzzy, but never black, empty... nothing."

"I know you're afraid, but I won't let anything hurt you. We'll figure this out together." He stroked my hair, continuing to soothe. "We don't have to explore now. We'll hunt in the east, avoiding... whatever it is for now. Please, relax, Alice. You're starting to frighten me."

I'd never been blind before. It was almost impossible not to look down that future and see the emptiness. Finally I came to my senses with Jasper's help and focused on our hunt in the other direction, on the Cullen's setting up their home, on our meeting at the dock in a few days. I choked on a deep breath and the scent made alarm run through me again. Jasper kissed me, smothering the thoughts that hadn't fully formed.

Without taking his lips from mine he lifted me in one arm and ran east. When I inhaled, the terrible smell was gone. "Better?" he asked. The worry on his eyes was clear.

"Yes. I think so." A vampire afraid of the dark. That's what I was. Of course with these bright eyes there was no darkness for me — except down that path. I shuddered again. Jasper held me tightly and waited for me. He didn't use his gift this time, for which I was grateful. It seemed important for me to catalog these reactions, in case... I couldn't finish the thought. I shifted to move my weight back to the ground. My feet under me again helped; it reminded me of my strength. Why should I fear? Somehow I knew that I should, that the fear was not unjustified. I was certain; I just didn't understand it.

Jasper did a good job of distracting me. His fingers never stopped running over my face, unless it was to make room for his lips.

"Enough." I giggled at last. "I'm all right. Let's find something to drink." I sprinted east, not wanting to venture any nearer what lay in the west.

* * *

I leaned over the paper I had on Esme's drafting table. Pants with wide legs. They were almost skirt-like. I tried to picture a woman wearing them. It didn't quite work for me. I pictured Jasper in them. Oddly, that was better. I changed the dimensions to reflect his proportions. Then I pulled out thick board paper and began outlining pieces of the pattern based on what I'd drawn. If the company didn't go with this one there were several other designs in this package.

I wondered how long Jasper would be hunting. That was all it took for me to see him coming through the door and standing behind me. By the sun it would be another hour. I would be nearly done outlining the pieces by then.

We had spent six months in the Cullen house. Jasper was feeling much more confident in his new diet. His new golden eyes helped. Howver, he still hunted more often than I did.

I continued searching for more definite clues to the Cullens whereabouts. The rest of the family spent much of their time near the house. They were still settling into their new community. Edward, Rosalie and Emmett were enrolling in High School — Saucon Valley. I'd given the name to Jasper but it hadn't meant anything to him. The librarian in Forks hadn't been any help with that clue either. I didn't feel like leaving here to wander aimlessly. I wanted to at least narrow things down to a state before moving on. The house was comfortable, the prey ample. Except for that eerie need not to approach the beach, things were nice here.

Jasper had joined me in town a couple of times. Once to order myself a sewing machine from Sears. Once to wire my broker for a transfer of funds. I walked there weekly now to mail envelopes of patterns. I would ask him to join me tomorrow to send these. He had had no problems passing people in the streets, but I think it helped that we were all moving. He hadn't come into the telegraph office but instead, walked around the block.

He would join me; it would be lovely. The leaves were just starting to change color. That would mean the Cullens had started their classes. I tried to picture myself with them, surrounded by human children. I would enjoy the learning. I took what I had learned in my previous life with me even if I didn't remember learning it. I knew how to read and write, but it seemed most other education had missed me. Well, high school would be interesting the first time. This would have to be at least the second time through for the Cullens. Thinking on that brought Edward to my mind again. He was filling in an application to Pennsylvania State University.

"Thank you, Edward." I said aloud as Jasper came behind me.

"Edward?" he asked.

I turned and threw my arms around him. "Walk with me to the post office?"

"It's late, love."

"In the morning then? Maybe the office in Seattle, or Portland, or Billings, or wherever we are by then?" It would be Missoula, I knew now.

"What did you see?" he asked, brushing a hand over my brow.

"Edward applying for night classes at Pennsylvania State University." I squealed with glee.

"Thank you, Edward." Jasper echoed. "I'll start loading the car."

I wrapped up the gown, which was very nearly finished, while he packed up the trunks.

"Leave the bolts," I told him as he returned to me. "I'm not taking the machine either." I grabbed my graph paper and incomplete drawings, squaring the pile. "They're coming back here someday. I'll leave them till then. I'm sure we'll find more than enough to fill our time once we get there." I had a premonition of something not enjoyable filling the time, but it was vague and undefined. Too many decisions left to be made, but we were on the path.

He nodded and lifted the gown in his arms instead. "Your hats are still upstairs in the room."

"I'll grab them." I set the papers on top of my sewing kit and headed to our room. Carlisle and Esme's room, I reminded myself. Just because we'd spent the past few months in it, didn't make it ours. They were going to want it back. I sighed and set the papers under one of my larger hats in a box that would accommodate them, then lifted the pile with my kit and met Jasper at the Lincoln.

As terrible as it had been losing the Cullens when they had been so close, I was glad now that they had left when they did. Jasper and I had needed this time together. We were more tightly knit now. He had taken the time to learn this lifestyle. He would find it easier to fit into the family now than he would have before. It was possible to see the change I'd initiated in him. Although he had been polite to a fault before, at least with me, he seemed more civilized overall now. He recognized the things I did to blend in, and that I did them when we were alone. He was still learning the habit. He kept his appearance much neater now, but that had as much to do with staying in one place as anything else. He was stabler. He still let his emotions run with me occasionally, but it was much rarer. His old control had returned. He was very unsure of himself around humans, but I knew that was just a matter of practice.

Knowing the meeting was more imminent, I tried to envision it. Parts were there, but we still had decisions to make. The timing was definitely uncertain, sometimes sun shone in the windows, sometimes it was night. Sometimes the entire family was home, sometimes only one or two. In every one, the members present were put off by Jasper's scars. I would have to address those upfront. No problem there. I would also have to try to reign myself in. My excitement would unnerve them. I'd better take the travel time to prepare for that. Already my excitement was a distraction and we hadn't even left the house.

Jasper took the boxes from me and arranged them in trunk. "Thank you."

"Did you want to drive?" he asked.

I thought about that. "No, I think I'd rather you did."

"All right." He held a question in his eyes. It would be easier if I drove as I could see when we needed to slow or stop for observers, but I had my paper and pencil on the dash. I wanted my hands free, just in case. I was almost vibrating in my seat as he closed my door and got into the driver's side. He laughed at me. "You're going to drive me to distraction with you, at this rate."

I just bounced a little, ignoring him. "Let's go!"

He laughed louder and gunned the engine.

In Pittsburgh, we stopped and I asked for some directions. No one I asked had heard of Saucon Valley. In one diner, I asked about Sacred Heart hospital and finally got somewhere. "Oh, you're too far west for Sacred Heart," piped up a customer who overheard me. "That's in Allentown."

My heart soared. I could find that on a map! I turned to the balding round man. "Would you be familiar with Saucon Valley as well?"

"Hmm, no that doesn't sound familiar." He proceeded to give me directions to Allentown and then the hospital. "I hope your Aunt improves quickly."

"Things are looking up for her already." I told him, remembering my cover story. "I appreciate your help, so much. Can I pay for your meal?"

"Oh, no need for that."

I slipped the waitress a bill with a wink anyway and kissed him on the top of the head. "Thank you."

It was only as I opened the door to leave that I realized what I'd done. How had I managed that? I skipped to the car and leaned in the window to kiss Jasper's cheek. He turned his head to kiss me back.

"Good news, I take it."

I walked around the car and he leaned to open the driver's door for me. I had taken over driving once we hit the state line. "A lovely man in there gave me directions to the hospital in Allentown." I started the car and pulled away.

I pulled into the visitor parking at the hospital and looked around the lot. I could see the entrance to the staff lot. A Cadillac was just pulling in. I gasped and pointed.

"Jasper! That's Carlisle! I'm sure I saw Rosalie working on that car."

"Should we go in then?" he asked, looking to me.

"No." I replied quickly. I didn't need the vision, but it came anyway. Quite horrific. Carlisle would not appreciate having to clean up after the mess we'd make. "He's headed to the Emergency Room."

He laughed quietly. "There would be a real emergency if we joined him there."

I laughed, too. "So, how do I find the house now? Phone book?"

He snorted. "Follow him home."

"I love you." I pulled out of the parking lot, following the path he would take home after his shift. I looked ahead to our future instead of Carlisle's. None of the men would be home, just Rosalie and Esme. That could make things easier.

Sitting outside the house, I stared carefully ahead. This could go badly. It wouldn't. I'd do what I must to prevent that. I squeezed Jasper's hand and waited for him to open my door. Esme opened the door as we topped the stairs.

"Hello? Can I help you?" She saw us for the first time and stepped back through the entry.

I knew a calm introduction would go smoothest, but now that I was here I couldn't control myself. I threw my arms around her neck. "Esme! Mom! It is so good to see you!"

She stiffened and slowly relaxed. "I suppose you should both come inside." Her voice was strained. Jasper's intervention was probably all that kept her from running.

He came forward as I released Esme, stepping back from her while still grinning like a fool. He took her hand and raised it to his lips. "Excuse Alice's exuberance. It is a pleasure and honor to meet you, Esme. I am Jasper, and I am most grateful to you and your family." He leveled his butterscotch eyes on hers and she blinked.

"You..." She whipped her head to my face, taking in my eyes as well. My grin never faltered. "You are like us. I thought we knew all the others."

I was starting to bounce on my toes again. "Can I hug you again?" It took all my self-control to ask.

"Ummm, I suppose." I was in her arms instantly.

"I don't know where I'd be without you," I breathed.

"Does she know she isn't making sense?" Esme asked Jasper over my shoulder.

"Yes. She's just overcome. Alice, love, you're unnerving the poor woman more than I am." I felt lethargic. My arms slid down from her neck and I grinned. "She has seen your family through her gift. She's been waiting a long time to meet you." My excitement was growing again. Jasper looked to me. "And her anticipation is getting the better of her."

Esme was starting to smile now. "Well her enthusiasm is infectious. Alice, dear, it's wonderful to meet you, too, but you should know, I thought you going to take my head off! Please try not to do that to anyone else in the family." I nodded. "Oh come along then." She opened her arms and I jumped into them again. Jasper chuckled quietly.

Suddenly instead of pure joy, I was moving toward hysteria. "I thought I wouldn't find you. I saw them coming for me. I saw myself wild. I saw them burning me. I tried to copy you. I tried to keep myself safe, but I knew I didn't know enough. I knew you'd teach me how to avoid them. I knew I needed to be one of you. And I knew you'd take care of me. I need you, Mom." I squeezed tighter.

"Easy, Alice. We'll help you." Her mothering instinct must have taken over; she'd started stroking my back and hair.

Rosalie came in through the side door. "Who is it, Esme?"

She saw Jasper first and sunk into a defensive crouch.

"It's all right, Rose," Esme assured her. "These are Alice and Jasper, they are going to stay with us for a while." It wasn't until she said it that I could see it. We wouldn't be sent away today. We wouldn't be sent away anytime soon. I squealed and hugged Esme again.


	5. Chapter 5

I jumped down the stairs abruptly. "Gifts!" I yelled as I ran back to the car, returning with the gown in my arms. "This is for you Rosalie! I know you won't need it for another year yet, but do you like it?" I unwrapped the wedding dress and held it high. Jasper didn't need to reduce Rosalie's fear. It evaporated as she came to examine the silk and lace creation.

Esme came over to ogle too. "How wonderful. This lace. I have a bedspread..."

"I copied the pattern. It was such an elegant accent. I'll have time to make a veil of the same."

"You made this? For me?" Rosalie was flabbergasted.

"Yes." I scooped the skirt and train and held it out to her.

She cradled it in her arms. "Thank you." She took it to her bedroom.

Now I prompted Esme to make another decision. "So, where are we to stay?"

Her face fell a little. "We don't have any empty rooms right now." I watched the future of the house flicker as she planned. "I suppose you'll have to take Edward's room." She led us to the smallest bedroom.

I looked out the window as she opened the door. The expanse of the undeveloped land outside Hellertown was lovely. "It will be perfect. We'll help you move things. Jasper can you take that case there?" I indicated one of the many bookcases lining one wall. I picked up the table with Edward's turntable and music collection.

Esme shook her head. "How?"

"I see the future. I saw where you planned to move things. We'll help."

"Rose," Esme called from the hall. "Can you move things in the garage, we're going to need some storage space for a while."

Rosalie came down the stairs then, already dressed in the gown. "Why?"

"Jasper and Alice are staying for a while — Well! That does look magnificent on you! — and they're taking Edward's room. It will take me a bit to fix up the basement, but he and Emmett aren't due back right away. In the meantime, we need to put his things somewhere." She nodded to me, holding the table.

"Of course, just let me change." She was up and back in a flash. I stood in one corner of the garage while she piled her tools back in their boxes. "The fit is excellent. And the design superb, Alice."

"I'm glad you like it, Rosalie. I hope Jasper and I don't crowd you too much."

"Oh, you might have Emmett's and my room this time next year. That's about how long it will take for everyone to get sick of us and ask us to move out again." She said it with a smile.

"You don't mind?"

She chuckled. "No. Emmett and I actually _do_ tone it down when we're here. By the time they want us to move out on our own, we need the alone time, too."

My breathing sharpened.

"Aren't you and Jasper...?" She let the question hang.

"Yes, but... we're still... new to each other. I don't think we're quite as... exuberant as you and Emmett. At least..." I couldn't believe I felt awkward. If I wanted Rosalie for a sister, I'd probably better start talking to her like she was. "He's still gentle with me."

She laughed harder. "I see. Well, if you want it otherwise you should probably tell him so."

"Yes. Um... I don't know if I do. Rosalie?"

"Hmm?" We were heading back to the house for another load.

"Did you hear about my ability?"

"No. I didn't realize you had a _talent_." She was only half interested, and, I thought, half annoyed. She didn't have one.

"I can see the future. I..." How did I say this? "I sometimes see you and Emmett."

She laughed loudly now. "Well, if you want any play by plays you'll have to talk to him, but I'm sure he'll be happy to give Jasper all the pointers you like." She continued laughing as we passed Esme and Jasper, settling a bookshelf into its new place.

Rosalie slapped Jasper's ass as we passed. Had I really just seen that? Did she really just do that? He laughed at something. I was getting angry.

He hissed at me and I stepped closer to him. "She's delighted in you. She has affection for both of us already. But nothing like that, don't get upset."

I reigned my feelings in and continued to help relocate Edward's belongings. As I did, I saw how displeased he was going to be to get home and find his things moved. I chuckled aloud at his expressions.

"Hmm?" Rosalie asked.

"Edward is going to be a little put out with me."

She chuckled, too. "Oh no, not angst-face! He has that one well practiced. He uses it on amorous girls at school all the time. And yet, he must realize it makes half of them crush on him harder. I swear I'm going to break the jaw of the next one who asks me if he's seeing anyone."

"How do you do it?" I asked her now.

"Do what?" She smiled at Jasper who was bringing in our trunks.

"Sit in a classroom full of humans all day. I went crazy some days sitting in a diner for four or five hours."

She shrugged. "You desensitize. Just takes a little time and practice. I never get used to high school kids, though. Ugh."

I perked up, and Jasper caught my mood change.

"What?" Rosalie asked.

"Carlisle's on his way home," I reminded her.

"Already?" She looked at a clock on the wall. "Oh, it's later than I thought."

I was already bounding down the stairs to where Esme was flipping through catalogs. She pointed me to several that were open, "What do you think of those beds, Alice?"

I picked up each and selected a sleigh style. "This is nice. Jasper?"

He whispered in my ear, "I don't care as long as you're in it."

I giggled. "Yep, this one."

Esme nodded. "I'm thinking a green theme. Does that suit you?"

I was still bouncing. "Sure."

She looked up at me then. "Carlisle on his way?"

"Yes." I clapped my hands.

She sighed a little but smiled warmly. "Maybe you two should sit down and let me warm him up."

I flopped in a chair, my disappointment evident.

Jasper lifted me and sat me on his lap, pulling my head to his shoulder. "You don't want to frighten him away, do you?" he teased, kissing my ear.

"No," I mumbled.

Rosalie eyed our cozy set up. "Say, Alice. When is Emmett getting back?"

I smiled at her. "Tomorrow, afternoon sometime." I focused a little more on the vision. "A little before three, and he'll whisk you upstairs a little after three. Assuming he doesn't choose to defend you against Jasper, or some such nonsense."

"Hmm..." She was thinking, and by the look in her eye I didn't want to know what she was thinking about. By the way Jasper's hands roamed, she was thinking about exactly what I thought she was thinking about.

"Rosalie? Did you know Jasper has a gift too?" She looked at him but didn't pause. "He can sense emotions. So, Sis, can I ask you to let me be the one to make him amorous?"

They both erupted in laughter. Esme chuckled too shaking her head. "Edward needs to find a girl. The lust in this house..."

Rosalie was still looking at Jasper and I felt a growl in my throat. Her eyes met mine then. "I think I might ask a favor of you and Jasper later, little sister."

"Rose," Esme warned.

"I just want to borrow Jasper for a couple minutes. Nothing like that... Emmett is so cute when he's jealous, though."

"Yeah, but I'm not," I threatened.

"I beg to disagree," Jasper whispered in my ear. "I might play along just to drive you to distraction. You don't see her plan? I'm curious now."

I let myself see it then but blocked it quickly. Jasper blew out my jealousy quick. "That's not the cute kind," he told me, holding me tighter. "So, we won't go with her plan. How about mine?"

I wasn't sure I wanted to know. It was only slightly better. At least Jasper planned they'd both be dressed, but seeing him kissing her... He growled in my ear before I could growl out loud. "That's what I'm looking for." He nibbled on my ear now.

I closed my eyes and tried to calm myself. He wasn't helping with that at all. "Carlisle will be here in two minutes."

Esme looked up at us. "Children," she scolded. "I know you don't have a bed yet but can you try to keep that to your room?"

Rosalie laughed, "Finally! Someone else gets that tone!"

I started bouncing a little as the time grew nearer. Jasper groaned and moved me to the couch. Rosalie laughed at him, and I ignored them both. Daddy was coming home. Esme shot me a warning look. "Rose, can you try to keep her contained?"

She laughed again, "I can try." She wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pressed down firmly. Jasper sent calmness through the room and I settled in a little. Rosalie whispered in my ear, "Do you bounce like this on him? I might have to try that..." I saw her plan in my head - pigtails bouncing, baby girl frilly skirt. I elbowed her lightly. "What?" she complained with a smirk.

"No wonder they kick you out. I've only been here a few hours!"

"Oh, you're going to want me around longer if Jasper picks it up. Emmett is worse."

I saw his plans for a little after three and put my head in my hand grasping for Jasper's calm. I didn't have to wait long. He sent a new wave as Carlisle opened the door.

Esme greeted him with a kiss. He deepened it before noticing company. "Oh, we have guests?"

Then he stiffened. Esme stroked his hand, "Yes, this is Alice and Jasper. You don't know it, but they learned our way of life from you. They've come to learn more."

And that was the end of my patience. I ran to Carlisle and tackled him in hug. He grunted a little as my weight hit him. "Thank you. You don't know how much you mean to me."

Jasper chuckled quietly. "That was longer than I expected," he commented to Rosalie who was still shaking out the arm that I had ripped myself from.

"Alice," Carlisle half groaned, "Your hug is a little tight."

"You don't have to tell me," Esme complained.

"Sorry," I apologized, stepping back a little and sliding my hands down to take his. "I've been waiting for this moment for so long. I saw you. I saw all of you. I saw how you hunted, how you lived. I knew that I wanted — I needed — to be a part of your family. Jasper needs it, too. He is very new to this lifestyle. We know how to hunt, but we only know the basics of how to live among humans. Will you show us?"

"Two shouldn't draw too much attention, right, Carlisle?" Esme asked.

He had been focused on my eyes before, but now turned to his wife who had already taken to mothering us. I was sure he could see that. Then I saw his decision and I started bouncing again. "No, I don't suppose..." He didn't get to finish his sentence as I hugged him again.


	6. Chapter 6

I sat with Esme on the couch, placing orders for various furniture. We had done what we could with the basement last night, but there was still a long way to go. Jasper was filling Carlisle in on his past. I noticed Rosalie come down the stairs and squeeze in next to Emse. This made me notice the time. 2:30. Emmett and Edward would be home any minute. I looked ahead, hoping to see their reactions. They were peeping on us from the doorway and then came in. Not bad then. I returned to swatches and catalog forms.

At 2:55 I called aloud, "Emmett, Edward, why don't you come in?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rosalie jump into Jasper's lap. He smiled at her and put his lips her her ear. I refused to play along. Esme just shook her head at her two boys. "Listening at doorways. Really Edward, I thought we'd raised you better than that."

"Sorry, Mom," Edward said sheepishly. I took a moment to examine him in person. I'd missed Emmett. He was already peeling Rosalie from Jasper and I refused to give that even an iota of my attention. Edward had lovely bronze hair, nicely curly. His eyes were molten butterscotch, freshly back from the hunt, and he stood an infuriating six feet tall. Sometimes being short was a curse.

He smiles at me. In my other sight, I saw him accepting my hug, so I ran to give him one. I remembered every vision of him. His piano playing, his hunting, his time apart, the two of us as friends.

He lifted his head from mine and shook it. Some of my fears of failure returned. Then he kissed the top of my head. "You're right. Everything is going to be okay now. And no, Emmett is not trying to kill Jasper, yet."

I backed up to look at him. "I thought, with everything you've seen, you knew," he told me. I had only given the barest part of my curiosity to the growling violence behind me. Rosalie was loving it I was sure. Edward nodded. He could read my mind. He smiled broadly and nodded again.

I huffed. "And I thought I was annoying."

He grabbed my waist and turned me around, "Jasper doesn't want you to miss all the fun," he whispered in my ear before smacking my ass. What sort of family had I found? I didn't remember seeing any of this before. Edward laughed behind me. "I wouldn't do that to Rosalie, she'd take my hand off."

Sure enough, the boys were crouched defensively. Jasper had his arms around Rosalie still, one hand was slipping up under her blouse. My eyes narrowed. Wasn't he taking this a little far? Why hadn't Esme put a stop to this? Or Carlisle?

"They don't get involved unless the house is at stake," Edward informed me. Then he stepped to my side to look down at me. "You're remarkably composed."

I stuck my tongue out at him. Now Jasper was groping her breast. I took half a step before Edward grabbed my wrist. "They're almost done," he assured me.

"Save me, Jasper," Rosalie called, planting another kiss on my mate's lip, but Emmett had his hands on her waist now and threw her over his shoulder.

Jasper let out a laugh and trotted over to me. I looked cold death at him.

"Edward," he said, "I trust we can introduce ourselves later?" Then he swept me off and carried me up the stairs.

"Hey! That's _my_ room!" I heard Edward yell behind us.

Jasper let go of me to flop on couch; he was still laughing. He stopped suddenly and looked at me. I wasn't laughing, and I wasn't joining him.

"I didn't want to make you angry. I wanted to make you jealous," he muttered to himself.

"So make me stop," I spat.

He shook his head. "Never. I told you. I want you to feel what you feel." I crossed my arms under my breasts, and he came to kneel in front of me. "But I can try to convince you to forgive me," he said. "Slap me," he whispered. I shivered slightly and then complied. He whipped his head back, grabbing my hand and kissing the inside of my wrist. Then he wrapped his arms around my waist and his hands moved up my back. I wished I could blame my change of mood on his gift, but knew I couldn't.

He bowed his head putting his nose to my navel. I nearly gasped. "I'm so sorry, Alice," he mumbled into the cloth of my skirt. It took a lot of strength not to just fold.

Instead, I grabbed a handful of his hair and bent his head back, "You will never do that to me again, Jasper."

The look in his eyes was pure desire. "Never." he swore.

"Okay, this role-playing can be fun," I admitted.

He growled then and the game was over.

Tensions in the house did not drop immediately. I was still miffed at Rosalie for her game. Emmett was livid with Jasper and not ready to forgive. Edward was put out about put out, literally, in the garage. Esme seemed to be at her wits end trying to bring the family back together. I put extra effort into helping her prepare the basement for Edward. He spent very few days in the garage, and although he had to have known upon arriving at the house that we'd moved his things again, he tromped into the garage anyway, growling to himself.

I followed him in. "I... " I didn't bother trying to answer. I was sure he knew what I wanted to say. I hadn't known we were going to be an inconvenience to him specifically. I wanted to make this easier for him. I really appreciated being given the opportunity to be here and had no idea what I'd do if they asked me to leave. The last thought made me choke a little, looking for tears I no longer had.

He hugged me. "I'll try not to let it get to me. My new room is ready?" I pictured it, just as we had finished it. "Great." He smiled now and burst for the house.

Jasper found me still standing in the garage leaning on the Cadillac. "Everything mended?" he asked.

"Not everything, but enough." I let my vision scan, there was worse to come between him and Emmett. I shuddered slightly. I would forgive Rosalie today. If things went ill, I would need her help with Emmett.

Jasper and I spent our days with Carlisle and Esme while Emmett, Rose and Edward were in class. We were being drilled in human pretense. I had already picked up a lot of the habits, twitching, shifting my weight, getting up and repositioning myself, so I was able to take _Historia _to Carlisle and learn its contents while Esme continued to practice with Jasper. She was beginning to walk with him on cloudy days through the neighborhood. Carlisle and I followed a little behind, the book between us. In the book, I learned who the Volturi were, and through discussion, anout the time Carlisle had spent with them, his attempts to bring more of our kind to his way of thinking. I was surprised and saddened to learn how little success he had. "But why would a person _want_ to be a monster. Especially if there was another way?"

"They don't think of themselves as monsters, just carnivores. Humans are their natural food source, why fight nature?"

"Why wear clothing? Why build homes in cities? These aren't in our nature either. We do them to build better societies, to assist us living together."

He chuckled. "Indeed. I don't know that I tried that particular argument but certainly similar ones. They were never swayed, and eventually I just couldn't stay any longer."

I nodded. Certainly Carlisle would never be easy watching humans brought in for slaughter like cattle. "Well, I'm glad you did. I don't know how I would have gotten to Italy." I giggled.

Jasper froze and crouched. I ran to his side. "Easy, love," I murmured soothingly. A mother and son were playing on their drive. They both stared at him. "Clutch your stomach," I whispered and started to turn him back the way we came. He took a few steps before straightening, the scent passing.

Carlisle clapped his shoulder. "You'll get it, son. You'll get it."

Esme took Jasper's other hand for the walk home.

Jasper found relief in hunting. He went out two or three times a week. I tried to accompany him, but some days, I just couldn't be separated from a new design idea or Carlisle and _Historia_. It was on one of these excursions that my vision was fulfilled. I was lying on my belly in our room, tracing a pattern, when I heard Emmett and Rosalie head out. I followed their future and found it predictable. Esme was very strict about damage to the house. Then I checked on Jasper's return. Teeth flashing, Jasper whirling onto Emmett.

I leapt to my feet and burst through the door. Edward was on my tail, then he was ahead of me. Damn, he was fast. We were too far, though. Emmett snarled, lunging at Jasper. Jasper flashed aside, taking Emmett's arm in his mouth as Rosalie jumped on Jasper's back, her mouth at his throat.

Edward got there first and pulled Emmett away; Emmett lost a good chunk of bicep. I aimed a kick straight at Rosalie's face and thankfully connected before she landed her strike. I left Jasper and followed through on her, pinning her to the ground. Edward stood between Emmett and Jasper who was now sending calm through the area. Esme had just caught up with us.

"What happened?" she screamed.

Jasper spit out the piece of Emmett. "Sorry, brother, But you really shouldn't attack a guy like that. I nearly took your head." He handed the flesh to Edward who passed it to Emmett.

Rosalie stopped fighting, and I let her get up. She continued to sit on the ground staring in disbelief at Jasper.

"Dammit Emmett!" Edward chided him. "Look at those scars! How dumb are you? Attacking him. It was a game, you great ass! He doesn't have any interest in Rosalie. He just wanted to make Alice jealous."

Emmett huffed and relaxed a little more. Esme was still sizing up the situation. She came to Emmett's side now helping him reattach his muscle. I stretched a hand out to Rosalie. "No hard feelings?" I asked her.

She barked a single laugh. "I don't know about that. I might have to put a foot in your face one day. But I'm glad you stopped me. I'm pretty sure Jasper wouldn't have stopped with _my_ arm."

I shivered remembering how that vision had ended without intervention. "No."

"Well, children," Esme finally spoke again. "If you are done rough-housing, I could use one of you to help me bring in Alice and Jasper's bed from the garage."

And that was it. Somehow violence had made us part of the family. Emmett continued to antagonize Jasper, but it never turned as bad as that first match — just honest sparring that always left Emmett cussing and wanting another chance. One day, he decided to try me instead of Jasper. It was a bad idea. Jasper started to my rescue but I was on Emmett's back before he touched me.

"Oddly, I saw that coming," I taunted and smacked the back of his head before jumping down.

Jasper and Edward both eyed me oddly after that. Then two nights later took their turns. Jasper came at me first. It was certainly more difficult to best him than Emmett. He didn't have a single plan of attack, but I still saw each as he took them and was eventually able to turn one to my advantage, dropping on him from a bough overhead. He laughed freely when I kissed his neck.

Edward was much more difficult. I could still see his attacks, but he of course saw my responses. We must have circled for hours each anticipating the other, rarely attacking, until Jasper finally called us off. I took one last run and tackled Edward in a hug. "That was great!" I giggled. He laughed, too.

* * *

I thought I was finally ready to test my resolve and start classes of some sort. Before I went to my first class at the local college, Carlisle had a test for me. I had seen it coming and was sure nothing terrible would happen, but I was still frightened.

"It will be fine, Alice. Just walk me to the desk, and walk back out. I'll be there the whole time, just in case. But I won't need to be." He smiled at me so warmly I couldn't help but feel my confidence bolstered.

Sure, simply walk through the Emergency waiting room past at least one bleeding human. No sweat. I was not going to be able to do this. I could see all the errors I would make, all the horrific outcomes. And one, pristine, perfect one. I clung to it. I had to choose not to obey my urges. I could always hold my breath if it was too bad. I parked the Cadillac in the staff lot and walked with Carlisle through the doors.

It was remarkably easy. Only two humans had open wounds and they were both on the far side of the room. The scent and thirst from this distance were not unbearable. Carlisle squeezed my hand when I reached the desk, "See?"

He had so much faith in me. I didn't deserve it. "Yes. Thank you."

He kissed my forehead. "Good. Now pick me up at the end of my shift, please."

That part was not a test. I could of course see exactly when he would finish with his last patient, 10:45. I chose to test myself and arrived at 10:30. I took a seat in the waiting room and tried not to stare at the people. There were more wounds and I was closer to them now. None were exceptionally bad though. Most of the blood had dried. I looked ahead to Carlisle's last patient. A little girl with brown hair, about three. My eyes regained focus and I continued to blink. I was still seeing the girl. Now she waved at me. Ah, she was actually standing in front of me. That was confusing. Her smell was very alluring; I did my best to ignore it. She had a doll tucked under one arm.

"Hello," I said to her, patting the seat next to me. She climbed up. "My name is Alice. Are you here to see the doctor?" I asked. She nodded, her eyes wide. "Are you scared?" I asked. She nodded again even more furiously. Her brown locks bounced wafting her scent to me. I locked my lips for a second before speaking again. "Well don't be. My dad's a doctor. The best one there is. He won't hurt you; he'll take very good care of you." She smiled at me showing perfectly spaced baby teeth. Her blue eyes glittered at me.

"Justine Higgenbotham," the receptionist called and the girl's mother came to take her hand. She waved to me as she left. I looked back to the seat Justine had sat upon. There was her doll. Well, I would just catch her as she left. I examined the doll carefully and pulled a needle and thread from my bag while I waited. I stitched an eye back in place and tightened a lose arm. I also mended a hole in the tiny dress.

Fifteen minutes passed quickly, and I saw Justine coming out in her mother's arms. I skipped up to them. "You forgot your doll." I told her and handed it to her.

She smiled broadly at me. "Thank you, Alice!"

"Didn't I tell you Carlisle was a good doctor?" I asked her.

"Yes. He's nice." She hugged her doll and tucked her head into her mother's shoulder.

"Remember, Justine. Marbles are for playing with, not inhaling," Carlisle chided her.

"Was that what was wrong with her?" I asked Carlisle. "No wonder she wouldn't speak to me earlier." I giggled.

"Well, I'm all done now. I'm a little surprised you were here already," he said, offering his arm.

"Just testing myself now," I said replied, looking down.

"And you continue to pass?"

"Yes. I think I'm ready for class next week."

"More than ready," he said, stepping into the car.

* * *

Looking through my bookstore, I heard a rumbling.

"Don't growl at me, Jasper. We know you're trying; we aren't judging you. If it really bothers you so much that I go to class in the evenings, I'll put it off. I don't have to start this year. I can wait 'til Edward's done high school and go to Penn State with him."

This just made him growl louder. "Do I need to bring Edward in here? Or are you going to tell me what you're thinking?"

"I'm loathing myself, all right? I don't want to hold you back, but I don't want to be without you." He turned away from me.

"Jas, you're not holding me back. I can learn plenty right here. I can work with you. I can work on my designs."

"But you want to go to school. I felt it when you read the course calendar, picking a class. You were excited."

"You excite me too," I reminded him, touching his cheek. "I'm proud of you, Jasper." I pulled him to sit on the bed so I could look into his eyes. "You've chosen to live this life. You _chose_ it. That is the largest part of all. Most of our kind don't. They see nothing wrong with what they do, but you did. Just because you falter, just because you fail, it doesn't make the choice any less important."

He let out a breath. "Thank you for trying."

I stamped my foot, "Dammit, Jasper. Come with me." I took his hand and ran all the way to high school. Emmett and Rosalie were at a dance tonight. As I ran, I looked ahead. This would work. I pushed open the door to the gymnasium. The smell of the students was overwhelming. I turned to Jasper, "Don't take your eyes off me." I pulled him amidst the dancers and began leading in reverse. We probably looked a little odd, and certainly no one but Rose and Emmett recognized us, but Jasper danced with me for four songs, each one a little less jerky than the last. At the end of the fifth song, I kissed him. "See. You can do it. Let's go home." I waved to Emmett as I pulled Jasper out. He and Rose found us outside.

"Way to go, Jas." Emmett clapped Jasper on the back and grinned at him.

"Are you all right, Jasper?" Rosalie asked. Jasper hadn't moved much since we left the gymnasium. We were fortunate no one was around to watch us.

"Yeah... just... a little numb."

"You'll be fine," I assured him.

"I... I think I'm going to hunt," he declared.

shrugged to Emmett and Rose before chasing after him. After that, Jasper didn't seem to have as much of a problem with walking me to and from class.

And so I was sitting in a small room, surrounded by delectable humans, listening to a teacher prattle about Dracula. I had had to laugh when I received the reading list and saw this, Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on it. I gathered, based on the reaction of my classmates, that the book choices were designed to encourage interest among them. It seemed to be working. As the discussions began, I was much more interested as well. Although I'd found the monsters in the stories truly laughable, discussing the _nature_ of monsters was wonderfully engaging. I kept wondering if any of them would guess there was a _real_ vampire in the room with them, but none did.


	7. Chapter 7

As classes came to an end, I was given a new and wonderful duty, making arrangements for Emmett and Rosalie's wedding! The guest list wasn't long, just the vampires from Denali and a couple of Carlisle's coworkers, but I was going to make sure that everything would be prefect for Rose. She and Emmett had been great siblings these past months, both to Jasper and me. Emmett was making a point of continuing to engage Jasper, even though his record hadn't improved much since their first bout. Rosalie had been getting Jasper to help her with the cars, and although he didn't have a ton of interest, the interaction was proving good for him.

I was both excited and interested to meet the other vampires who had chosen to find a new food source. Carlisle had told them about Jasper and I when we arrived, but this would be our first opportunity to meet. I hoped our novelty wouldn't distract from Rosalie and her wedding; she wouldn't be pleased with that. On the other hand, I knew Emmett would sweep her off soon after the reception started anyway, so it was unlikely. And he was going to ruin the dress! I stomped my foot making a dent in the floor, but let my anger go instantly. They were going to have fun destroying it, and it wasn't like anyone else was going to wear it anyway. Most of the lace would be salvageable.

I saw that the day would be cloudy but dry, so we held the entire wedding in a local park. I even had a piano brought in so that Edward could play. He and I were there, waiting for the Denali vampires to turn up. They were due in about fifteen minutes. Edward toyed with the keys, playing something I'd never heard before. "New?" I asked.

He nodded. "It's just a theme I'm working with, still isn't coming together though." He sighed and turned to Jasper and I. "I'm surprised you aren't helping Rose prepare," he said knowing that I wanted to.

"I wanted to be here when the guests arrived. Besides, I'm going to need to be here." He heard my thoughts — Jasper was going to need me when the humans arrived.

"Right. I wonder how Tanya and her family are."

"They're doing very well, of course."

"You can see them even though you've never met them." He shook his head.

"I can see them because they are coming to see us," I clarified. Even as I said it, I let my vision slide to their arrival, just minutes away. I saw Tanya leading, a strawberry blonde in a green dress. The color was quite becoming on her. Next Irina and Kate were arm in arm. Both with straight pale hair, they looked like biologic sisters and wore the same shade of blue, though in differing styles. Kate's was reminiscent of Marilyn's look while Irina had a decidedly Hepburn quality to her wardrobe. I appreciated both, very chic. The couple was last. Eleazar in dark pinstripes and Carmen in red. Both had dark hair and the odd complexion that resulted when vampires had darker skin. They all bore bright smiles as they approached and Kate even tossed her head back to laugh at something Irina whispered in the vision. I came back to the present. "See, they're well."

Edward nodded. "And they're here," he said.

A flash, Edward dancing with Tanya. I followed that further and Edward hunched his shoulders. He wasn't surprised though, I could tell. He knew Tanya would pursue him. He just didn't want to know how it ended. Or did he? "Edward?" I asked before looking ahead.

"Yeah, go ahead," he muttered as the cars drove up. I only half saw the vampires exiting their vehicles; I was still watching Tanya lead Edward into the trees of the park. She kissed him, and whispered, "Aren't you lonely, Edward? Wouldn't you like some companionship?". He shook his head and pulled her hands from his neck, hanging his head and working his jaw. She walked back to the dance floor, her step a little less gay than before.

He nodded morosely. "Not too bad then."

I put a hand to his shoulder. I'm sorry it's difficult for you. I'm sorry you don't feel the same for her. I'm sorry you don't feel that way yet. You will. One day." I scanned ahead,scrying. Much was different around them, but he was approaching a brunette with obvious intent. Her back was to us, no clues who she was. But it was coming. His love was out there.

He met my eyes now. "Thank you."

I shrugged and pulled him up. "Introduce us, you lug." I turned him to the guests.

"Tanya!" He greeted her with a hug. "It has been too long."

"Yes, Emmett and Rosalie's last wedding I believe," she said with a laugh. I noticed she squeezed him more tightly than he did in return. I looked to Jasper out of the corner of my eye and his face was slightly contorted. He was sharing Edward's awkwardness. He could feel both of their emotions and the distance between them.

I squeezed his hand. "They'll sort it out," I assured him in a whisper.

"Did Carlisle tell you about the addition to our family?" Edward asked Tanya, still holding her hand as he turned to face us.

"Only that there had been one. Well, two, I see now."

"This is Alice and Jasper," Edward introduced.

"Two gifted?" Eleazar exclaimed moving around the women to examine us. "And such a powerful gift. Forgive me. I'm Eleazar," he introduced himself, taking my hand.

I wrapped the other around his shoulders, hugging him. "I have heard much about you, Eleazar. It's wonderful to meet you."

"You can really see the future. So clearly?" he asked.

I nodded. "Though clear, it's not always easy to interpret. I don't always know when and where. I spent years looking for the diner I would meet Jasper in, knowing only that it was a diner on a rainy day. Not very helpful."

"Yes." He was petting my hand now, lost in thought.

"And your wife?" I prompted, trying not to ignore those behind him.

"Yes! Carmen! The light of my world, Carmen. This is Alice. She can see the future. Her mate is Jasper. He can sense and manipulate emotions."

Jasper flinched. He hadn't read as much about the Volturi or talked with Carlisle about it as I had. I knew Eleazar's gift, how it was useful to the Volturi, why he had left.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Carmen!" I hugged her as well.

"Alice, cousin," she murmured.

"And I am Tanya," she said, coming forward to take my hand. I hugged her as well as Irina and Kate in turn. Jasper settled for shaking hands, or kissing them in the case of the sisters. I eyed him jealously, but with a smile, and he knew I wasn't jealous at all. I heard a very quiet growl, though, and it seemed as though my blood surged.

"None of that," I complained, coming to his side. "We have guests. Later," I said with implication.

That was when the humans arrived; I stayed very close to Jasper's side after that. The ceremony itself was short — a justice signing the register alongside Esme and Carlisle, Rose and Emmett. The happy couple had a few dances and cut the cake before Emmett tossed Rose into a convertible and zipped away.

Carlisle made sure to introduce us to his coworkers, and Jasper did an excellent job, shaking hands with each.

"There, was that very hard?" I asked. "You did excellently," I praised.

"It was hard... but not impossible."

I kissed his cheek, my pride glowing. I saw Tanya coming back into the park. "Tanya?" I asked stopping her. "Are you all right?" I knew she had just left Edward.

"I. Yes. I'm fine, thank you, Alice." Her smile was tentative.

"I'm glad," I squeezed her hand. "You can talk to me anytime if you need."

She nodded, and it was probably just occurring to her that I knew what had just happened. "I'll bear that in mind." She snapped up one of the human guests and began moving with him to the music. The man seemed completely astounded that this beautiful creature had just chosen him. Not that there were tons to pick from tonight. I shook my head.

"Well, I think I'm going to go chat more with Kate and Irina. I'm curious to learn more about them. Join me?" I asked Jasper.

The Denalis stayed for a couple of days and we got to know each other. Tanya eventually did confide in me with her sisters. "I just don't know what I lack. I mean, what is he looking for?" she moaned.

We all shook our heads. "It's not something you lack, Tanya," I assured her. "He's just... waiting for something. Maybe some switch that needs to be flipped in him. I don't know. But it's not you. I promise you that."

"Not me," she huffed.

"No, not you. He's just frigid," Irina teased. "Let's light his room on fire, that'll warm him up!" She laughed and actually ran for the basement before Edward reached her and threw her into a wall with a laugh.

"Oh, no, you don't, you pyromaniac," he teased her.

"I'm so glad I don't live with you," Irina whined. "I don't know how Emmett gets away with any fun with you around." She pouted now.

Kate laughed too. "Don't Kate," Edward edged sideways as Kate approached.

"Let Irina have her fun," she said, continuing to walk very slowly toward Edward.

Esme was chuckling now and I couldn't resist looking ahead.

"Oh, no. You don't really want to let them get away with this do you?" I asked Esme.

"Will it only damage Edward's things?" she asked.

I shook my head in disbelief. "Yes."

"Then I'll go get the extinguisher from the garage," she said, walking away.

That was when Kate reached Edward, and he fell in a heap when she touched him. The two sisters bolted down the stairs and Edward rose a second later and ran after. I could already smell smoke. Esme threw the extinguisher down the stairs and the smell changed.

Tanya wasn't laughing. "Well, that didn't make me feel better. I hope they had fun."

"They did. Edward is livid," Jasper told her. "Oh, I think Kate's knocked him out again. How does she do that?"

"She can shock the system of the one she touches. Instant paralysis. Brief, but inescapable," Tanya told him.

"Very good," he said, and I knew he was thinking of battlefields and strategies.

"We aren't fighting anyone, Jasper," I reminded him.

He shook his head. "Of course we aren't," he agreed.

"Eleazar? I think I'm ready to go home," Tanya said abruptly.

I gave her a hug. "I'm so glad to have met you," I told her honestly. "Don't let it bother you."

"I'll try," she said. "It's easier from a distance."

I nodded. "It's not you," I reminded her.

"Right," she said. I looked to Jasper, he shook his head. She didn't feel any better about herself. I tried to look ahead for Tanya. There was someone coming for Edward, surely someone was coming for her, too. But if there was, I didn't find it before I was interrupted by Eleazar and Carmen's goodbyes.

Irina and Kate made their way up the stairs clinging to each other while laughing. "Where'd everyone go?" Kate asked.

"Alaska," Carlisle said with a smile. "They just left though. You'll be right behind them if you leave soon. Don't feel you need to, though," he added quickly. "You're welcome to stay longer."

"I don't know if I'd agree with that," Edward muttered, tromping up the stairs. I suppressed giggles at the smudges and ashes on his suit. They hadn't done serious damage, but it was bad enough. The girls laughed louder.

"We'd better go before he gets really mad," Irina declared.

"Goodbye hug?" Kate offered with a look that insured pain would accompany it.

"I'll pass, thank you," Edward hissed.

I laughed and stepped into the hug. She didn't shock me though. "You've got enough electricity in that hair of yours, I think," she said through laughter.

"Good to have met you," I said and then hugged Irina as well. "And I think I'm glad I live with Emmett instead of you," I admitted. "I don't want to guess what sort of antics you get up to without someone like me or Edward to hold you back."

"Oh yes, you do. You want to do them, too." She chuckled. "You are trouble, Alice. I can tell." She kissed my cheek, and I giggled again.

"Goodbye!" I called out the door after them. I liked my new cousins.

"You could have warned me. I would have put my favorites somewhere safe," Edward moaned behind me.

"I didn't know. They really did just come up with that on the fly. You knew as soon as I did."

He narrowed his eyes at first, but then smiled knowing I was being truthful. "And Tanya?" he asked.

I tried again, was there someone for her out there? Some time? I still couldn't find it. I closed my eyes and hung my head sadly.

"He's out there, you just can't see him," he told me, trying to make me feel better.

"Sure. That's it," I mumbled and then twirled my way to Jasper for a kiss. "Cheer me up?" I asked.

He smiled and lifted me in his arms.

* * *

I enrolled in two more night classes as Edward finished his High School run. Emmett and Rosalie came back after a few months. I was glad. It was almost too quiet in the house without them. I shook my head thinking of what I'd gotten used to hearing. On a spring day, I saw Emmett looking at the kids playing baseball in the field behind the house.

"Wishing you could join them?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I think I might draw attention," he said with a chuckle.

"Play with me instead," I suggested. "Just decide to do it. Tonight, after dark."

"Uh, Okay," he said, confused. "I can dig up a bat and ball."

We would draw attention with the noise. "No, not tonight." The noise, the cracking, like lightning. I started looking ahead for a thunderstorm. "Friday night. Let's ask the others to play, too."

"You know you don't make any sense, right?" he checked, following me into the other room.

"Yep," I said with a smile.

Friday night we played baseball for the first time. It was the perfect June storm. The rain was sheeting, but we didn't care. Emmett wanted to pitch. I connected with it easily and ran for Jasper and first, Carlisle on second and then saw Edward coming out with the ball. I slid into third, knowing I couldn't make it home before he threw it to Esme there.

"She cheats!" Edward declared, coming out. "She knew she couldn't make home. She also knew when the pitch was coming." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Well you can't take a base then, or pitcher. You know when we're going to steal." I shouted back.

"Fine, you pitch. You don't know they're going to steal until they decide to, right? You all hear that?"

"Shut up!" I yelled, jumping on him and covering his mouth with my hands. "If they can't figure that out on their own then I get the advantage. OW! You bit off my finger!" I started punching his head and shoulders while he tried to dislodge me. I landed on my butt with a thump and picked up my finger. He was laughing. I made a run for him and he took off into the trees.

I returned to the pitchers mound instead. "Well I guess this will be my post for a while." I held my hand up to Esme and she threw me the ball.

Rosalie took the bat with a big grin. "This was an excellent idea, Alice," she said, preparing for my pitch. She missed the first but cracked the second out to Edward. I looked ahead to see how far she'd get. I ran to third to catch Rosalie and the ball.

I grunted as she took out my legs. "Well it's not a kick to the face, but it hurt," I complained, getting up. She laughed at me. I ran to the mound and wound up for Emmett. I held and waited until I knew he was getting impatient before snapping the pitch. He missed. Edward was laughing behind me.

"We have to do this the next time the Denali clan is here," I told all of them as Esme threw the ball back to me.

That would be a while given that Edward and I were moving to Philly at the end of the summer.


	8. Chapter 8

Edward held my hand as we entered the brick building. "You can do this," he reminded me. "Mind over blood." I stuck my tongue out at him and he laughed. "Okaty, you can do this, because you can see you can do this." That worked.

I relaxed a little and squeezed his hand. "Thanks. I'll see you in a couple of hours." I found an empty seat in the auditorium. A red head with a nose covered in freckles plopped in the seat next to me. "Am I late?" she asked.

"Doesn't look like it." I said, leaning slightly away. She smelled so good. I drew circles with the wrong end of my pen, trying to distract myself. It got worse as more people entered the room. The saving grace was the Professor starting the lecture. It gave me something to focus on. I only barely managed to keep up as he began discussing the nature of reality. How could one prove things existed if no one observed them? It was fascinating. I let my mind drift with his words and was a little surprised when I heard people moving around me. It was over? I looked at my watch. I couldn't believe two hours had passed. I was lucky the other students were as focused on the lecture; I was pretty sure I hadn't moved at all, even to take notes.

"I don't know how I'm going to manage to pass this class..." the red head moaned. "Did you understand any of that?"

"I think 'understand' might be an overstatement," I admitted rolling my eyes.

"I'm Lisa," she told me holding out her hand.

I took a deep breath, stinging my nose with her scent. "Alice." I took her hand. "Bad circulation," I told her when she looked at it.

"Ah, my mother's feet are always cold too. Do you have any other classes here Alice?" She was smiling. I wasn't freaking her out.

"I'm in Ethics with Professor Donaldson tomorrow, you?"

"Logic with Matthau."

"Right, I have that on Wednesday. I'll see you there." I smiled back at her. She was totally buying my 'human' act. I was filled with relief.

She smiled back. "Maybe you can help me 'understand' that class too." She tittered slightly, covering her mouth. The hall was nearly empty now. I saw Jasper standing at the back. Lisa did too. "Who is he?" she breathed.

I slipped past her. "My husband," I told her.

"I'm definitely joining your study group," she whispered, following tentatively.

I laughed as I climbed the stairs, "Jas, this is Lisa. Lisa, this is Jasper Cullen, my husband. And he isn't in class, he's just picking me up." I noticed a book under his arm. "You borrow my card already?"

He chuckled. "Yeah." The mind and heart: emotions and their impact on modern psychology_._

"Nice pick," I said, flipping the book over to read the back. I heard Lisa gasp again and looked up. Both my brother and husband in the same room? Lisa was probably having a handsome overload. "Hey, Edward. Lisa, this is my... Edward. He's Jasper's brother's adopted son... Edward. Edward, Lisa."

"Pleased to meet you," he said politely, taking her hand.

Lisa blushed and turned to flee. "I'll see you Wednesday, Alice."

"Definitely." I waved to her.

"Well that was refreshing," Edward commented. I looked at him questioningly. "She didn't try to undress me."

I laughed, "Too busy eying up Jasper?"

"Actually no. She was worried she wouldn't be able to join your study group since they seem to all be men." He laughed with me now.

In Logic, Lisa introduced me to Debbie. A petite blond with blue eyes hidden behind glasses. Lisa sat between us as the lecture began. This time the professor outlined the rules of reason. How you could positively or negatively infer information. It was very confusing with all the vague words, but eventually it started to make more sense.

"Alice?" Lisa whispered in the middle of class.

I blinked. Damn, I hadn't been moving. "Did I fall asleep?" I whispered back and tittered a little. "Freaks my sister out when I sleep with my eyes open like that. Sorry." Would she buy that? I wouldn't buy that.

She chuckled quietly. "Good way to not get caught," she allowed. Good thing I could lie well. I bit my lip and picked up my pencil, making a note to take notes from now on.

At the end of class Jasper was waiting for me again. Debbie and Lisa walked out with me. Debbie was awestruck. I ran up and kissed him. "Jasper, this is Debbie."

"We've met," he said casually, smiling at her. They had? How had I not seen that? Was I really that engrossed in class?

Debbie blushed and I moved to block Jasper's view of her. I could see that blood tempting him. "Well, that's good. I think she'll be joining my study group with Lisa."

Jasper angled out the door. Debbie's blush was still affecting him. I flipped through the future. Edward would meet him outside in a minute. He was fine for now.

"Is he all right?" Lisa asked, her face full of concern. "He doesn't look well, all ashy. Something he ate?"

"Yeah, that's probably it," I lied again. "I'll see you next week," I added with enthusiasm.

Jasper sat outside on a bench with his head in his hands. Edward had a hand on his shoulder. I skipped up to them. "I'm sorry, Jas. You have that effect on women, I'm afraid." I teased.

He snorted, not looking up. "Lucky me." His voice was desolate. He hadn't failed. He had extracted himself. He'd done exactly the right thing. Why was he feeling so badly?

I sat beside him and put my head on his shoulder. "All better now?"

He put his arm around me, "Yeah. Better." His voice lightened a little. I was sure that was due to my presence.

"So where did you meet Debbie?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"In the library last night. She helped me find that book. She's a psych major."

I nodded. I was far too engrossed in my metaphysics class to have looked into Jasper's future, especially for a chance encounter with a human. They were still almost non-existant in my visions. I wondered why. "I guess she didn't blush that time?" I teased.

"No, she didn't. I'm going home." He got up. I looked to Edward for help. He didn't mean our apartment; he really had decided to go back to Hellertown.

"Jasper, wait." I ran after him at a human pace, but he didn't slow.

Edward came to my side. "Give him a minute, then I'll try again." He put an arm around my shoulders. "You probably should prepare yourself in case I can't change his mind, though."

I nodded, wishing I could still cry. I went back to our two bedroom flat and pulled out my books to read again. I didn't get far before visions of Jasper leaving distracted me too badly to continue. They disappeared abruptly and he was back on campus with me. I sighed in relief. He and Edward came in a short while later. I ran and hugged Jasper. "I love you. I'm so glad you're staying."

"I love you, too. I'll keep trying. I'll keep my eyes on you." _Thank you, Edward. _I thought to him. He tipped his hat before removing it and heading to his room.

Jasper found more and more books in the library. I often saw him there on Fridays, my only lecture-free night. That was when my study group gathered to work on whatever assinments we'd collected during the week, or hadn't finished the week before. With the complex concepts we were discussing in class, discussing them out of class was very helpful. Especially when trying to nail down a specific idea for a paper.

Our group started as three, Lisa, Debbie and I. Eventually it grew as more and more classmates heard about it. Now there were an even dozen of us. I hoped no one was feeling ostracized, but we really couldn't squeeze anyone else in. The librarians were not impressed with our size as it stood. Lisa was happy to have some non-females join. The first was John. He was only in Logic with us, but grateful for the assitance. He was taller then me — but who isn't — yet not as tall as Jasper, just under six feet. He had dark skin and hair — latino, I thought. The second was Barry. He was a little shorter again, round, and very friendly. He had brown eyes that were always warm. He would make very subtle passes at all of the girls, but none, aside from me, who he avoided, seemed to notice or take him up on them. I felt bad about that. He was a great guy, even if he wasn't at the top in the looks department.

Edward joined us one day. He was familiar with the subjects and jumped right into several discussions. The Librarians had offered us an isolated room by this point so we no longer had to whisper. He impressed everyone very quickly. The girls, of course, he impressed as soon as he walked in the door. I could see him giving many the brush-off in the next couple days. I would have to apologize.

"Thanks for coming to our study group, Edward." I began.

"No problem," he said with a smile. "They were all very interesting to listen to. You have a good group there, very dynamic. Their minds were everywhere. Very nice."

Oh good. He had enjoyed it. I was sorry it was going to give him even minor headaches. "Don't stress over it Alice," he said with a chuckle. "It happens whatever I'm doing." He ran a hand through his hair, smug. _It doesn't happen to me everywhere, all the time,_ I thought.

"That's because you have that ring on your finger," he explained. "I toy with the idea, but I don't think it would work as well for me. It would also be a total lie in my case."

I looked at the plain band on my finger. I'd picked it up in Seattle with the ID's months ago. It reminded me that Jasper and I had never had a 'wedding.' Not like Rosalie and Emmett's anyway. I didn't consider myself any less his wife, just a little jealous. But Edward didn't need me moaning about that, even in my head.

"Have you told him?" he asked anyway.

I shook my head. "I will. I wanted to ask you something else, though. You met Barry?" I checked.

He nodded.

"He's a great guy. Why didn't any of the girls take his bait? Were any thinking about him at all tonight? Just if you noticed, of course." I knew he didn't like intruding on the minds of others. Although his gift was extremely handy, it did come with it's own problems. No wonder he was so good at ethics. The good versus bad of eavesdropping in someone's brain. I was glad I didn't have to deal with that one. I could see their future and I had to wrestle with whether or not to tell someone, but usually that was an easy choice. I only really blabbed what I knew in critical instances. This was obviously _not_ critical. I was mostly curious.

"One or two. If he'd made a pass at them, they either just missed it or were too shy to act on it. That happens a lot," he said with a shrug. "It's worse in high school. I spend so much time listening to two people each thinking how _wonderful_ the other is and never saying more than 'hello' to each other. It's all so juvenile."

"Yeah, juvenile." I was thinking of playing matchmaker; that was pretty juvenile, too. I let the matter go.

I took Lisa and Debbie to a coffee shop with Jasper after class one night. "So, what do you two do when you're not in class or study group?" I asked. "I'm guessing you are old friends?"

"Yeah," Lisa started. "We went to High School together, in Reading. Debbie was on Year Book committee. I was a cheerleader, if you can believe that," she laughed. I could. She was very enthusiastic. "What about you and Jasper? How long have you been together?"

He shifted in his seat and I could tell he was holding his breath as much as possible. I took his hand under the table and squeezed. He still didn't breath but stilled somewhat. "We're still newlywed," I told them and kissed him whispering against his lips. "Excuse yourself to the bathroom, if you need." He smiled as we parted.

"Yes, we've only been married a year, but it seems like we've been together forever," he told them. "Will you excuse me?" he asked, rising.

"Where did you find him?" Lisa asked as soon as he left.

"In a diner, here in town, actually. He came in to get out of the rain, and I knew the moment I saw him that we were meant to be together." All true, with some missing information.

Both girls sighed and their eyes went soft. "He's so dreamy," Debbie said. "Something is bothering him, though. Can you share?" She was observant. Of course, her major was psychology, she was probably noticing the signs.

"Yes, he has some, control issues." that was close yet vague enough, I thought. He wanted to be in control of himself, his appetite. But I could never tell them that.

Debbie nodded. "That sounds right. It would explain why he leaves so abruptly, so often. Avoiding situations where he isn't in control. He knows he doesn't need to worry about us, right? We're not trying to interfere with him." Her eyes were concerned now.

How was I supposed to answer that? Of course they were interfering with him; they were making him thirsty. They were making me thirsty, but I'd grown used to it. "I'm sure he does."

Debbie nodded, "He must. Sometimes, with us, in the Library most often, he seems much less... troubled than other times. He also prefers smaller groups doesn't he?" How much attention was she giving my Jasper? I was starting to become annoyed.

Lisa noticed and stepped in. "They need a case study for Debbie's psychology class. She's hoping to use Jasper for hers."

"Oh!" I suddenly understood. "Don't you have to have a one on one session for that?"

Debbie blushed and looked down. "Eventually I will, yes. I'm trying to glean as much from casual interaction as I can. My professor thinks it is much more informative, especially if you observe them in different situations, different groups. I've... I've watched you two outside class. I should have told you before, but then you might not respond the same way. I've watched the two of you with Edward. He is very different when it is the three of you. Much more... natural, I think. Yet, this group isn't much larger, but he is completely different again. He is making for a very interesting paper." Her eyes glittered and I worried.

"Um, yes, he is, very interesting." How much was she following us? Had she seen anything she shouldn't? I tried looking into Debbie's future, to see if she would expose us.

She was going to be in trouble. Someone was going to attack Debbie. It was some months away — I saw a flower bed on campus full of petunias and no one would be planting those until April at the earliest. But she wasn't going to expose us. I tried to come back to their conversation.

"Yes, I know he's her husband, and she has every right to be protective, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm not trying to 'get with' him, I'm studying him. He's fascinating!"

I chuckled. "Yes, he is. Don't worry. I was a bit put out at how much attention you were giving him. But now that I know it's in an objective sense, well subjective — scientific. Anyways, it doesn't bother me so much. Let me know when you want to talk to him alone. I'll try to ease him into it. He's very shy around new people." _Around human people_, I amended in my head. "But I'm sure we can convince him. For the sake of your paper. I'd be interested to see your notes. I might be able to clear up any misconceptions you gathered from your point of view." And I'll make sure there aren't any strange notes like, 'can run faster than a car' in them.

"That would be great!" Debbie said with a smile. "I'll bring them on Friday." She got up now, grabbing her bag. "I should go though. I have a lecture at nine tomorrow morning."

"Eeww, nine? Well, I'll walk you back to the dorm. See you tomorrow, Alice. I hope Jasper's all right." Lisa followed after Debbie. She was right, it had been a while since Jasper had left us. I looked over my shoulder to see him lurking just around the corner.

"They're gone. You can come out now," I teased.

He grumbled incomprehensibly as he came to sit with me again. "Why is it so hard for me?" he moaned, putting his head in his hands again. We were alone in the shop now. "Maybe Debbie's project will give you some insight you can share, if she can get close to the mark with so little information. I'm reading all her course material trying to find the answer myself. I mean, it has to be a mind thing, right?"

"You knew?" I asked. How long had he noticed her watching him? Why hadn't he said something before.

He nodded. "Something that first day, in the Library. She looked at me and her emotions went from light infatuation to nothing. No emotion at all. Now there's some sympathy, but that day, nothing. I figured she wasn't looking at me as a man anymore, not really. I was an object, a subject. Then I noticed her watching more often, in more places. At first I worried, but she was still going to your study group, so she mustn't think anything was _wrong_ with me."

I shook my head in disbelief. How much of Jasper's life was I missing while I was in the classroom? How much had I given up? Was it a fair exchange?

"So, I decided to learn more about her. I found out what classes she was in, mostly by following her instead of vice versa. Then I got her book list." He shrugged; he obviously didn't think much of it. "Don't worry, Alice. I'm all right. She's all right. She hasn't seen anything we don't want her to see. I can recognize her scent now; she's been following so much. I do hope you'll tell me what her notes say."

"I will not," I declared. His mouth fell open. "I don't know much about psychology Jasper, but I'm pretty sure your knowledge invalidates the observations. Unless you're ready for some one-on-one sessions with her?" He shook his head eyes wide. "Then she will need to be able to continue to observe you from a distance. Am I wrong? You've read the books."

He shook his head and slumped across the small table. "No, you're right. You'll tell me later though?" he asked, looking at me from under lashes.

"Of course!" I said happily.

Edward wasn't pleased to learn of our bespectacled shadow. "You didn't hear about her from Jasper?" I asked when he called me on my observation of Debbie.

"No. He'd noticed her, too, but never thought about what she was doing there. She's _studying_ us. That's incredibly dangerous for all of us, and you know it, Alice."

"I do. I also know she hasn't seen anything to think Jasper is anything other than a particularly interesting troubled mind. What was I supposed to say? 'I know my husband is a great test subject, but back off?'"

"That's exactly what you should have said." He pinched his nose, giving me an indication how irritated he was with me.

"I've looked ahead. She isn't going to expose us." I thought on the vision.

"That could be worse," he muttered. "If anyone connects Jasper to her disappearance it could be a _lot_ worse."

"I'm hoping he can prevent her disappearance," I said harshly. "Or that I can. I don't think this is a problem, yet."

"Yet," he sighed. "I was really hoping to start a residency this time. That was really too much to hope for wasn't it?"

"You would? You _could_?" I couldn't imagine being in a hospital for more than a few minutes.

"I don't know if I could," he said quietly. "Now I'm not going to know."

"It's not going to come to that. I can prevent it. I just have to make the right choice at the right time." I was adamant. We were going to finish this term. Debbie was going to be fine and if Edward was crazy enough to start a residency, he could. I clenched my teeth and strode off, determined.


	9. Chapter 9

The first term ended without me getting to see Debbie's notes. I thought she would need to have her case study finished before finals. I asked her about it on our way out of the Ethics final exam.

"How did that paper on Jasper go?" I asked directly. I had finished writing the exam an hour ago, but stayed in my seat, waiting to see Debbie rise.

"Oh, I'm not finished with it yet. I wrote what I had and asked the Professor for an extension to the end of next term. She thought what I'd found so far was very interesting but gave me a hard time for not getting an interview with him yet. I still got a B on the paper I had. She looks forward to end result." Debbie flushed a little and I turned my head for a fresh breath.

"Well, I guess you'll have to work up your courage then," I told her. "And I'd love to read your paper. Do you have it with you?" I could read it with Jasper and Edward then.

"No," she said sadly. "I didn't bring it today. I'm in Social and Political Philosophies next term, Thursday nights. Can I bring it to you there?" she asked, seeming regretful.

Well, she'd already handed it in, and gotten a B. There couldn't be anything too outrageous in it. "Yeah. I'll see you there. Have a great Christmas, Debbie." I patted her shoulder before running, well loping, toward the quad where Jasper would be waiting.

"Difficult test?" he asked, kissing me.

"Not really. I just wanted to wait for Debbie so I could ask her for her notes again."

"She still evading you?" he asked and shifted his eyes very slightly to the right where I could just spy Debbie reading over her notes for another final.

"Yes," I sighed. "She has written what she has to finish her class this term, but isn't finished studying you." It took effort not to glare in Debbie's direction. I knew she was only interested in Jasper in a professional sense, but I still didn't appreciate her intrusion into our lives. "She said she'll give me the paper after the holiday. Let's go," I said, lifting him to his feet. "Is Edward already gone?"

"Yeah, he finished a while ago and headed for the flat. We're all set to head back to Carlisle and Esme."

"And Rose and Emmett," I said happily. "It will be nice to be home for a while."

We shared all of our concerns with the rest of the family over the Christmas break.

"Jasper has an admirer?" Rosalie asked with a stupid grin. I frowned at her.

"Not an admirer," Edward clarified, "an observer. Probably worse. An admirer would ignore anything they didn't want to see. Debbie will miss nothing. Where are those notes Alice? You told me you'd share them."

"I don't have them," I admitted. I'd been trying not to think about the notes so Edward wouldn't know that.

"What? She's keeping them to herself now?"

"No, no." I laid the situation out for him quickly and then spoke for the others. "She wrote up what she had and didn't have the paper on her when I saw her last. She told me I could have that at the start of next term. I believe her."

"I don't believe you," Rosalie said angrily. "You're risking us? Why would you do that?"

"Because I think she might be able to help Jasper. She hadn't been avoiding any of us, so she can't know, can she?"

I saw many shaking heads

"Surely Jasper could just stay here," Esme suggested. "She wouldn't follow Edward. Alice? You could come back, too."

"Our circles only cross through Alice, Esme. She would never see me otherwise," Edward assured her.

I frowned, considering the possibility. Certainly, for our kind, passing a few years before starting again somewhere else was not a terrible sacrifice. I just didn't want to. Not when there wasn't a problem. In fact there was a potential gain.

"You don't seriously believe that!" Edward accused.

"Actually, I do!" I replied in an even higher tone than normal. "If Debbie can help us understand Jasper's control issues, maybe it can help him deal with them."

Jasper flinched and I went to his side. "Wasn't that why you went to the library in the first place?" I asked him.

He nodded sullenly. "Should I feel good that I have a problem?" he asked.

"Of course not, but you should be glad someone wants to help you. Someone who had never met you, I might add. Someone who isn't your mate, or family, or has any reason to give you the time of day. The opposite, in fact. She has every reason to run away from us, but she wants to talk to you, understand you, help you." I squeezed his hand. "Her objective is purely to improve your existence. How wonderful is that?" I asked the room now. "Why should we be running from this? Isn't she a godsend? Provided we let her draw only from her observations, why should she presume Jasper is anything other than a troubled man?"

"How helpful can her analysis be if she doesn't know what his control problem is?" Edward argued.

"Let's find out. Maybe it will be futile. Maybe her analysis will provide us with nothing. I still believe it is worth trying, if only for the chance."

Edward shook his head, but I looked to Carlisle now. "What do you think?" I asked him.

"I just don't know, Alice. Is this going to be a problem? You know better than any of us."

"The only problem I see is the one falling on Debbie, and that is not from any of us. She is going to be attacked by some human I can't follow. After that moment I see all sorts of possibilities. Some are not good, but none are devastating. None bring the Volturi to punish us, for instance."

"Well, that's a relief," Edward said snidey.

I scowled at him before turning to Jasper. "I think the choice is ultimately yours. She needs time with you, preferably without me. If you don't think you can do that, then we might as well stay here. But I know you can do it, I've seen it. And I believe this will help you. Are you willing to try?"

I felt the wash of hope he had given me when we'd met. It felt like a doubling of what I was already feeling. He was reflecting my emotions though the room. "How can I argue with something like that?" he asked.

"Easily!" Edward argued again. "Use your head!"

"Enough, Edward," Esme pleaded. "You've made your point. I agree with Alice; this should be Jasper's decision."

"Fine, but make it a rational one."

I glared down at my brother using all my new logic classes. If she didn't have any questions regarding our nature it followed that we were succeeding in our facade. Given that, if she still saw Jasper's troubles and well enough to even embark on this study, it also followed that she must have some theories on how to help him. Given that she had theories and wanted or needed an interview to verify and refine them, it followed that the resulting analysis would be more pertinent and therefore more helpful. And where, in my logic, dear Edward, was there emotion and intuition?

He sighed loudly. "Fine! Stop shouting."

"Yay!" I said with a smile, clapping my hands.

Everyone was looking at Edward now. "I won't say she's convinced me it's a good idea, but she has thought it through. I'll leave it to Jasper then." He smirked now, and I knew why. He didn't think Jasper would be willing to be alone with Debbie. He wouldn't trust himself. Edward nodded at me and I stuck my tongue out at him.

Jasper didn't watch our latest exchange. He was still focused internally. "Let's go back. Give me a few weeks around her again. I'm still not sure."

I smiled at him. "That's a good idea. Desensitize yourself to her specifically. You haven't tried that. Maybe you'll have better luck."

"Or maybe you'll just gain an appetite," Emmett mocked. He hadn't been involved in the conversation until now. Suddenly I wished he'd gone off to play with Rosalie instead.

Jasper nodded. "Maybe, but at least I'll know. I can always leave later too." He sounded desolate. I jumped into his lap and hugged him, filling myself with all the hope he'd shared a minute ago. I knew he could do it and even Edward couldn't dispute that now that Jasper had decided to go back. He would meet with Debbie, and she would leave that meeting healthy. More than healthy, she would be excited. That made me even more hopeful and not a little excited myself.

Rosalie watched Jasper all holiday. I thought I knew what she was looking for. "We're allowed to be ourselves here," I reminded her. "He's a perfect human when we're on campus."

"Hmm," she murmured, still watching. Finally she sighed when Emmett took a swing at Jasper in the yard and the two went at it among the trees. "Not like mine behaves when he's at home," she complained. I giggled. "You two going to have your wedding soon?" she asked.

I averted my eyes. Edward answered on my behalf. "Soon after she tells him that's what she wants." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Why haven't you?" he asked, trying to prompt my brain to answer him. I started rereading my metaphysics text in my head instead. "Fine," he sighed.

"Why?" Rosalie asked as well. "You know he'd love to marry you, right? That much is obvious."

"Yeah, it's like the opposite of when we met. He didn't want to be too presumptuous of me. Now I don't want to push him into anything either."

"He's a man, Alice. He's not going to think of a wedding on his own. You know that right?" she asked me.

"What's this I hear about a wedding?" Esme asked, joining us.

I shook my head at the inanity of it all. "We're talking about the wedding Jasper and I haven't had. What a ridiculous topic."

"Oooh, are you going to have one?" Esme asked now, looking excited. "I'd be happy to help make arrangements."

"There's no plan for one, Esme," but even as I said it I saw myself walking toward Jasper on Carlisle's arm. I smiled happily at that image. "But there will be," I said now. "I still don't know when, so we can't make any real plans." I couldn't quite keep the glee out of my voice. Rosalie wrapped and arm around my shoulders and gave me a little squeeze.

"Hmm," Edward mused. He walked past us into the fray that was Jasper and Emmett. Emmett was left on his butt while Jasper and Edward proceeded into the trees. Edward was up to something. I looked ahead but didn't see much with him and Jasper, nothing unusual on or off campus.

Debbie sat next to Lisa in our Philosophy class. She passed a report to Lisa who passed it to me. "Thank you," I called over to her.

"I'm just sorry I didn't get it to you sooner."

We didn't get to talk more as class started. I handed the paper to Edward before even I had read it. "Here. Give it to Jasper when you're done. I'll read it last."

"You didn't read it yet?" he asked.

She had just given it to me. I wasn't about to try reading it in class. Edward was already three pages in. "Well, you were right, she doesn't suspect anything."

I rolled my eyes. I went to find Jasper. "He's out hunting," Edward informed me, not looking up. "He headed out instead of coming back here."

I went into our room anyway. I pulled out my sketch book. I hadn't done any designing in a while. A blouse with flared sleeves, and laced in front rather than buttoned. That looked comfortable and very spring-like.

"Here," Edward said tossing the report to me. "Not much to take from that, but she's onto something."

I arched an eyebrow as I caught it and started reading for myself. Debbie found that Jasper was only really himself in a family setting. That wasn't surprising. She thought that his uneasiness around aliens, as she referred to those not familial, stemmed from his inability to predict them. Not knowing their actions made it difficult or impossible for him to control his reactions. This would explain why his first response was often to extricate himself. She _was_ observant. Edward was right, though, not knowing why he couldn't control his reaction would really limit her advice.

"I'm not saying 'I told you so,'" I heard from the other room. I blew a loud raspberry. _You are SO annoying, Edward._

I had a sudden vision of Edward in a jewelery store. He wasn't browsing though, just leaning to one side. That was odd. I went back to the paper. Her only recommendation here was more interaction with aliens. Preferably the same ones repeatedly. Try to bridge the gap between family and others. Well, that was worth a try. Jasper could get to know neighbors and work from there. Of course, our time limit on any one residence made this difficult. We could start with Debbie and Lisa. He seemed to be getting accustomed to them. Perhaps it was as I'd suggested during the holiday. Maybe if he could build a tolerance to one human at a time, he could eventually tolerate more, faster. I left the paper on the bed and went back to my sketch. I liked this blouse. I was going to make one for myself even if no one bought my design.


	10. Chapter 10

Our study group reassembled early in the new semester. We had new topics and a few new faces. Now that we had a dedicated room in the library, we were able to accomodate a larger group. Debbie seemed to be absent more this term than last. Not from class, just from the study group. I looked to Jasper's future and was not surprised to find she was spending more evenings shadowing him.

Our group was as lively as ever, and we got the occasional rap on the door by passers by when we got too loud. Barry seemed to sit closer to Lisa each time we met. I noticed him throw more gentle affection her way, complimenting her rebuttal and then asking her opinion on his latest paper topic. She didn't bite. I walked with her from the Library. "So," I said with a sly smile. "Barry?"

She smiled. "He's a sweetie, isn't he?"

"He likes you," I informed her, just in case she was simply being dense.

"You think so?" she asked.

"I know so," I said sticking my nose a little higher in the air.

"Well, then perhaps I'll have to ask him to coffee — to discuss my latest paper," she said with another smile.

"Perhaps?" I asked.

She giggled. "Unless you think he'll get up the courage to ask me."

"Hmmm, maybe with the right nudge." I winked at her and picked up my pace, walking beside Barry now. "I heard you asking Lisa about your latest paper. She was looking for someone to review hers with. You might want to talk to her outside our group. It's large and loud, don't you find?"

He coughed suddenly and dropped one of his books. I scooped it up, but in the time we had stopped, Lisa had caught up with us again. I looked at Barry, not holding out his book. "Um... Lisa," he asked nervously. "Would you like to go for coffee tomorrow night, talk about that paper some more?"

"I would like that very much, Barry." She smiled at him and walked away.

I handed him his book. "Was that so very hard?" I asked before turning and leaving myself.

A few nights later, I decided it was time to have a talk with Jasper about Debbie. "Jasper?" I asked. "How are you adapting to Debbie? Do you think you might be able to have an interview with her soon?"

He froze in the process of putting down his latest selections from the library. "Maybe." He didn't trust himself, that much was obvious.

"When did you hunt last?" I asked him next, stroking his hair.

"Yesterday." He hunted every two or three days when on campus. It helped his resistance.

"Did you want to hunt with me?" I asked. I wanted to help him anyway I could. I wasn't sure how, but I wanted it very badly.

We set off into one of the parks. There was little more than deer and racoons to be had. I knew it was some of the least appetizing prey, but to hunt so often Jasper had been relying these to sustain him. I found a doe and drained her quickly. I looked up when Jasper hadn't moved to join me. "What is it?"

"I can't let go. Someone is here."

There was? I hadn't smelled anyone. Then the wind shifted slightly, allowing me tp pick up a human scent. "Do you run into people here often?" I asked.

He nodded. "It makes it difficult, but more effective. I can't let go to hunt, but these animals are so tame I hardly need to chase them. If I drink a deer while smelling a man, I can almost fool myself."

It sounded more difficult to me. "And you don't need to hunt the human?" I asked, astonished.

"I do, but I don't let go of my prey until they leave." There was so much I was missing. What an interesting strategy. Of course, with his teeth in his prey he wouldn't run after the human.

"You are stronger than you think," I told him.

He smiled at me. "No, but perhaps I can be strong enough."

The next day, Wednesday, he walked me to class. I sat listening, as usual, when a vision seized me. It had been a while since one had gripped me so completely. Jasper in a jail cell, surrounded by humans. Holding his breath, curled in on himself on the small bench. How had he gotten there? How was he managing with so many, so close? I practically ran from the building when the lecture ended.

Lisa tried to follow me, "Alice! Wait up!" I almost ran right into Jasper. Lisa moved to his side and passed him a small box. He smiled at her and knelt in front of me.

What was this? I hadn't seen this. How had I not seen this? "Alice Cullen. Would you do me the honor of being my wife? Again," he said with a grin. He opened the box to reveal a diamond solitare. He took my left hand, already bearing the wedding band, and slipped the engagement ring to reside above it.

"Yes, Jasper. Of course!" I hugged him and didn't have to bend much, even with him kneeling.

Lisa laughed and clapped her hands. "I'm so glad I could help, Jasper. She really was surprised, wasn't she?"

I looked to him now and he grinned even wider. "I told you it can be difficult. Thank you, Lisa," he said to her.

"You?" I asked Lisa. She was still smling wildly.

"I picked out the ring with Edward. Jasper said you'd know if he bought it, and Edward said he didn't know what to pick. Then Edward asked me to hold onto it and give it to Jasper after class one day. I thought, with you looking so worried, today was the perfect day for a surprise."

I smiled, too. "It was. Thank you."

Edward approached us then, hugging me. "Ah, so today was the day. I thought you wouldn't spy a human," he whispered quietly enough Lisa wouldn't hear.

"Thank you," I murmured in reply. "And thank you!" I said, hugging Lisa.

"Alice, you should wear a sweater in class. You're freezing!" she said as I let go. I laughed.

Then I jumped up to wrap my legs around Jasper and hug him, now that he was standing again. "And the biggest thanks go to you!" I kissed him and lingered with my lips on his.

I heard Edward clear his throat and noticed Lisa blushing almost to the color of her hair.

"Sorry," I murmured, swinging my legs to the ground.

"No problem. I wonder where Debbie is? She was going to meet me after class." Lisa said, scanning the quad.

Jasper looked over his shoulder too, frowning. "Odd. We just had coffee and she was headed this way."

I smiled even more broadly. "You did?" I asked excitedly.

He smirked and nodded. "It went very well. She was looking forward to getting home and writing it all down."

I hugged him again. "Maybe that's where she went then," I suggested to Lisa.

"Yeah, probably. I'll see you tomorrow," she said with a wave.

"And I want to get you home," I said with a growl in my throat. "Edward, go be elsewhere." I waved him off, kissing my husband again.

"Yes'm," he said with a chuckle.

I don't know what Edward found to do with himself, but we didn't see him until the next morning when he came to change before heading to class.

"Thank you!" I called as he ran back out the door. I didn't even bother getting off the bed. "Where were we?" I murmured instead.

I finally had to leave my wonderful, handsome, thoughtful, amazing husband when it came time to go to Philosophy class. I still moaned the whole time. He laughed at me. I had just locked the door behind us when the vision from the night before returned. Jasper in a jail cell. That would not be a good situation. "Do me a favor?" I asked him as he walked me to campus.

"Anything," he agreed with a smile.

"Hunt tonight?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Something up?"

"No, just a concern. I don't want you, uncomforable..." I tried to think of a reason that wouldn't give away my worries. "Debbie might want to talk to you again after class," I suggested.

"Oh, right," he smiled and kissed me outside the building before leaving me on my own. I entered the hall and took a seat next to Lisa. "Where's Debbie?" I asked.

"I was hoping you would tell me," she said in a harsh voice. "I didn't see her last night."

I frowned. I tried to look into Debbie's future. As usual, it was difficult with a human, but I knew Debbie better now. She was in a dark room, a basement, I thought. She was tied and gagged. I gasped. Lisa looked to me. I shook my head but left class in the middle of the lecture. _Edward_, I called loudly with my mind. _We have a problem._ I reviewed the vision of Jasper and the lastest of Debbie as I followed Jasper's scent toward the park. That was where I saw the lights. I ran and was instantly at his side. Two police officers stood in front of him. One was short and round with dark hair and a bush of a moustache. The other was tall, lean and had brown eyes that seemed to look right through me.

"Hello," the taller one said. "Where did you come from?"

"What are you doing with my husband?" I demanded.

"Your husband? You are married to Jasper Cullen?" he verified.

"Yes. What seems to be the problem, officer?" I demanded. I saw Edward approaching from the other side of the park, walking, as I should have.

"Do you know Debbie Forsythe, Mrs. Cullen?" the short one asked.

"Yes, I have classes with her at the university. One today in fact."

"And was she in class?" the same officer asked.

"No," I admitted truthfully, looking down.

"Her parents reported her missing," the tall one said crossly. "We understand Mr. Cullen was seen with her last night. We just want to take him to the station to ask some questions. Set up a timeline for her disappearance."

"I understand. May I have a moment with him?" I asked them.

"Only a moment," the shorter one agreed.

I put my hands to Jasper cheeks and made him look at me. "You can do this. I have seen you do this. You are going to be fine. Just keep looking to me." I kissed him then.

"If you'll come with us, Mr. Cullen." The tall one took his arm and led him to the cruiser. I watched him go, and Edward finally met me.

"You're just letting them take him?" he asked. "They have no intention of releasing him after questioning. They're sure he's guilty." He was still watching the cruiser.

"I know. He's going to be fine. We need to find Debbie. Now." I met his eyes before running again.


	11. Chapter 11

I ran to the flower bed from my first vision. I had seen the attacker take her here. It was only a block from the coffee shop Jasper and I had met Lisa and Debbie at, the one the two of them had most likely gone to last night. Edward was at my side. "Careful, Alice." He was right, there were too many people on campus. I followed her scent a short distance, then it was gone.

"He carried her," I said. I closed my eyes. I couldn't see the past, only the future. There was very little she could see where she was. It was dark. Of course, it was night. I tried to force myself to see further. It wasn't something I did often. I usually let the visions come on their own, but I needed to see where she was in the daylight. A small stream of light came through a window. Debbie cowered, gagged, behind a shelf of books. The window was high on the wall.

"He can't honestly be keeping her in the library."

"It's a lower level," I pointed out to Edward. "And which library? How many are there on campus?" More than two. I thought there might be five.

"Seven," Edward answered me. That just made it more likely there was one with a dark hole for him to lock her in.

I saw him come for her. I saw his dark skin, his black hair. He slapped her and pulled her to her feet. He grabbed the front of her shirt and tore it from her. He reached under her skirt -

"I can't." He pinned her to the floor and opened his pants. "No, please." I watched her mouth open in a scream around the gag. He slapped her again, moving over her. He tore her bra and bit into her breast. "Please." He spat on her face and rolled her onto her belly. He flipped her skirt up. "Edward!"

"Look at me, Alice." I saw golden eyes through the vision. "We can still stop it, right?" The image changed as he said it. I jumped in through the window and untied Debbie.

_This story is labelled complete. I thought, at this point, Jasper and Alice have fully integrated into the family, so the story I wanted to tell, has been told. I hate writing weddings. :p_

"Right." I planned to go to Paterno and Pattee libraries. Edward nodded. "I'll hit two and meet you back here."

I came up empty. The lower level of Pattee was filled with students working on tables and in carrels. I walked through various doors, looking for a back room, but none were locked and all were lit.

At Paterno, I found a door labelled 'Staff Only' and broke the latch to enter. I found plenty of shelves, but I also found lights and librarians. I avoided them at first, checking empty rooms, but Debbie wasn't in any of them. When I came out, I was met by a matronly looking woman with her glasses on a chain around her neck. "And just what are you doing here?"

"Oh, wrong door, sorry." She narrowed her eyes, but I fled up the stairs before she had the chance to ask me another question. I returned to the flower bed outside in the quad. Edward approached from the direction of the science buildings.

"Nothing," he told me when he reached me.

Flash: Jasper attacking a man in his cell.

"We're out of time," I said in a dull voice.

Edward saw my plan as I made it. He didn't see anything to argue with. Except one point. "I'll get the files. You take the cells."

We walked as far as an alley and then ran for the police station. I met Edward again in the alley outside the precinct. We were outside a back had, of course, gotten here ahead of me.

"Go in. Ask to see him."

"Right." I walked to the front of the station and up to the desk. "Excuse me? My husband was brought in for questioning and hasn't come home yet. Is it possible to see him?"

"What is his name?" asked the man behind the counter.

"Jasper Cullen." He finally looked up.

"Cullen. Go to the end of that hall and ask for Sargent Pasco." He pointed.

"Thank you." I turned.

"Mrs. Cullen?" I looked over my shoulder. "He won't be going home tonight."

I tried to make my face look fearful. Then I skipped and tripped my way down the hall, hoping I looked distraught.

"Sargent Pasco?" I asked hysterically when I reached the end of the hall. It was the tall officer from the park. "My husband. Is he still here? Is he all right?"

"Mrs. Cullen. Yes, I'm afraid we have to detain him. We have had several witnesses who saw him with Miss Forsythe immediately before her disappearance."

"Jasper had coffee with her. She was interviewing him for a class paper. He watched her go. Can I see my husband?" I begged, knowing my account would mean nothing and not certain just how much time Jasper had left.

"Yes. I should warn you though. There are some... raucous men in there with him. Try not to be offended by them." He looked genuinely worried for me. _Foolish man_.

"Please," I begged again.

He led me down a stairwell. As soon as we hit the bottom stair the lights went out. I grabbed the keys from Pasco's belt, clubbing him on the head with a fist before running to the cell and opening the door. I closed and locked it again behind Jasper, dropping the keys beside Pasco as we ran back up the stairs. We ran out the back exit that Edward stood beside.

"Got it all?" I asked as we ran down a third alley.

"Yes. The only information they have on Jasper Cullen is what is still in their heads."

I came to a halt and turned to Jasper. "Go. Back to Hellertown. Get them ready to leave. I'll meet you in Montreal."

Edward watched the vision as it came. We would reunite there. We could stay in Canada for a time before moving on to wherever we went next. Denali, perhaps?

"You?" Jasper asked.

"I have to get Debbie. I don't want your name and face to stay with her case. They'll never stop looking for you. If she's found, you won't be. Now go." The sooner the better. The police could spread word fast. I turned to head back to campus. It was late enough now for most buildings to be closed and locked.

I saw Edward at my side. "What are you doing?" I asked.

"Do you know which libraries I checked? Do you know where the others are?"

I rolled my eyes. I didn't want him connected to this either.

"I'm not. You are," he reminded me. "You are Mrs. Jasper Cullen."

_Shut up and lead, Edward,_ I thought crossly. He brought me to the outside of one of the buildings. _Wrong windows._ He led me to another. This was a possibility. I kicked in one of the narrow glass panes and slid through. There were book shelves throughout the room. I listened for a heartbeat, sniffed for blood. Nothing.

"There's a door," Edward pointed out as he landed, then he was there opening it. I was at his side and stepping through. Another room, identical to this one. Still no sign of humanity. We checked four more rooms on the floor with no sign of Debbie.

"Come on," Edward urged. "We have one more to check. If she isn't there," he sighed, "we might have to let this go. It would mean she's in a library off campus. Could be anywhere, in the city or out."

He was right. "She will be in the next one," I declared. I could see the trouble that would follow us if we didn't rescue Debbie.

"How are we going to explain to her?" I asked. "She's going to wonder how we found her. How we can see her."

"We aren't going to let her see us. We're going to untie her and go, leaving the doors open. She can draw her own conclusions." He didn't look at me as he brought us to the last library. He kicked in the window this time.

"So much for her not seeing us," I muttered. The vision had come to me as he chose the window.

"Mmmm!" There was a muffled cry from below.

I shook my head and dropped into the room. I pulled the gag from her mouth. "Debbie? It's Alice. They think Jasper took you. We have to run. We can't let them investigate him." She would draw whatever she needed from that. That he had a record, probably. "But we couldn't leave you either. Can you find your way out of here?"

"Ye-es," she stammered.

"Do you know who did this to you?" I asked next.

"Yes, John." Her voice rasped and tears fell from her eyes. John from our study group. John from our Logic class. How many other girls had he done this to, I wondered. Well hopefully the police would find the answer to that. I snapped the tape holding her wrists and she put them to her face.

"You managed to free yourself, all right?" I told her. "You didn't see me. Thank you, Debbie. I am so sorry this happened to you." I jumped and grabbed the edge of the window, pulling myself out. She would have to use the doors.

"Foolish," Edward said.

"We couldn't leave her," I reminded him.

"We could have."

I shook my head. "They would have continued to search for Jasper. It's better this way."

"Well, there was one other benefit," he said slowly. I looked to him. "Because it was you, she was thinking about Jasper. He needs to be immersed in humans. She didn't think of it that way; she never guessed. But she wished she could tell you that."

"Immersed? Like completely surrounded? Why?"

"She refined her analysis. It isn't the unpredictability of the 'others' that is the problem. It's his inability to predict himself."

I thought on that. If he was completely surrounded by humans, more often, he would learn his reactions and be better able to control them. It made sense. Edward distracted me from my thoughts as we continued to make our way off campus.

"Montreal?" he asked.

"Yes. I want to honeymoon at the Chateau Versailles." I smiled. I watched the whole wedding play out in Mont-Royal Park. It was going to be beautiful. It would be a few weeks from now, when the day finally turned cloudy.

He laughed and we ran.


	12. Detained Truly Anonymous Contest

**Warnings and Disclaimer: Smoking. Don't do it. Even Jasper doesn't like it. Also, Jasper and other characters belong to SM (but you knew that).**

**Entry in the Truly Anonymous Contest (www. fanfiction. net/u/3582688/Truly_Anonymous_Twi_Contest)  
**

Smoking did nothing for me. Technically, I didn't even have to breathe. In fact, I was breathing as little as possible. So why was I inhaling tar with a side of nicotine? To mask the other smells.

It wasn't working.

Closing my eyes, I pulled the smoke though my nose and into my lungs, blind to the wino slumped across from me, deaf to the shouting across the room. Alice told me I could do this. She and Edward were coming to get me. I didn't have to hold on long.

The unmistakable thud of a fist hitting flesh opened my eyes. Please, let there be no blood. The cigarette would not cover that. If anyone started bleeding, I'd kill every person in this room, starting with my cellmate.

"Hey! You two! Separate, now!" The cop banged on the bars of one of the cells and the quiet scuffle was aborted. It probably helped that I was exuding the calm I desperately sought. Maybe if I made everyone else feel it they could reflect it to me.

It wasn't working.

The drunk snorted and bolted upright. "Wha? Where am I?"

The calm took him immediately; he was so close to me—the source, and he lay back down, snoring in moments. His head thumped on the hard bench and I could smell it bruise. I could smell the blood just under his skin, smell the beer on his breath, in his pores. He smelled of smoke, too, and I tried to cling to that aroma, ignoring the others. With my cigarette dangling from my mouth, I rubbed my hands on my pants. I rose and stuck them through the bars, leaning on them and focusing on breathing evenly, on being calm.

The cop on duty yawned widely. I snickered along with a few of the others peering out through bars.

"Rookie going to crash on the job?" someone asked.

Rookie. That was me. I was the rookie vampire, the rookie vegetarian. This was my big night. Why couldn't Alice have warned me? I wouldn't have been anywhere near that park. I wouldn't have been in the state.

"_You'll be fine, Jasper. Just hold onto me," _Alice had said, but she wasn't here to hold. All I had was this stupid smoking stick. I squished it between my fingers, squashing the ember and nearly rendering the result to dust. I dropped it and fished for the pack. It had belonged to the drunk. They were lying on the floor under his bench when the cops shoved me in here. Diving for them, I recognized what was probably my only hope of lasting without being discovered. They were one of the few things that kept me from killing everyone here.

"So, what are you in for?" one of the thugs across the room asked. His voice was gruff, but his tone was cool, easy. The calm was working on him. The Rookie didn't move from his spot.

"I was the last person seen with a girl before she disappeared," I replied honestly. "They seem to think I had something to do with it."

The jerk with greasy black hair nodded. "Yeah. I was the last person seen with this car that wasn't mine." He laughed suddenly and the man's amusement rubbed off on me, making me smile. "My gal's coming to bail me out. You?"

I nodded. "Same. Hope she doesn't take too much longer."

"What? You don't like the accommodations?" He guffawed again and I laughed with him.

"It's not the room so much as the company," I admitted.

The man's eyes narrowed and I felt anger flare from him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hey, keep it down," the Rookie complained, kicking the bars of the other man's cell.

I exuded calm again. "Just that I'd rather be with my girl."

He chuckled. "Yeah, me too, pal, me too." I turned the calm up a little more and he yawned, sitting back on his bench. More snores were joining those of the drunk beside me. Maybe if I put them all to sleep, this would be easier.

I didn't have time to find out. The lights went out and I kicked my cell door out, the lock snapping in a jarring clang of metal on metal. Despite the dark, I could see Alice clearly as she burst down the stairs into the holding area. I ran to her, nearly knocking her over to hug her tiny frame against mine.

"Let's go. Out the back," she whispered so quickly no one would have understood her if they could hear. I followed, and we were met by Edward in the alley. As soon as we were together we started running.

"That's it. The only record they have of Jasper Cullen is in their memories. That won't get them far."

"So, we run?" I verified. I meant from the city, not through it.

Alice nodded. "The others will meet us in Montreal. I knew you could do it," she cheered, jumping into my arms to kiss me. "You are stronger than you realize."

I skidded to a stop and crushed her to me, inhaling her to replace the awful smoke with the apple-pear smell that was Alice, my mate, the one who had found and saved me. I wouldn't let anything separate me from her again.


End file.
